


On Revolutions and Celestial Bodies

by Telsiree



Series: Hapigard AU VIP Club [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Betaed So We Live Like Claude, Black Eagles Students as Family (Fire Emblem), Black Eagles Students-centric (Fire Emblem), Byleth loves puns, Canon-Typical Violence, Caspar is a rock, Control Issues, Dorks, Dorks in Love, F/F, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hapi gives everyone nicknames, House Transfers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Monster Issues, Multi, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Rarepairs ahoy!, Single POV, Swearing, The Crests are to blame, Tributes, Ultra Rarepair Big Bang (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:55:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 42,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28831545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telsiree/pseuds/Telsiree
Summary: After the events of Cindered Shadows in the storyKeep Calm and Carry On, and thanks to the help of her new friend Eddy, Hapi finds a new gang to hang out with:  The Black Eagles.Now hanging up topside and out of the Abyss, Hapi thinks she can tolerate the Church long enough to enjoy time with her new friends and classmates.  She's an established Dark Mage, she's friends with a Princess, and she's got a cool new Professor who owns a glowy boney super sword.Everything from here on out should be easy peasy.  Right?
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Constance von Nuvelle, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/Hapi, My Unit | Byleth & Shamir Nevrand, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: Hapigard AU VIP Club [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113956
Comments: 59
Kudos: 37





	1. New Digs

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by [kenzotenma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenzotenma/pseuds/kenzotenma)! Go read their work!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hapi settles into the topside of Garreg Mach with her new class.

Chapter One: New Digs

* * *

“You’re kidding,” Hapi stared in shock in the middle of the doorway.

“These are rather spartan accommodations, I admit,” said the Fernado as he swept into the room, carrying Hapi’s books for her and setting them on the modest far shelf. “‘But I believe it develops the character necessary for a martial life as an army officer.”

“Um, Hapi? Is t-this shade of green okay for your curtains?” mumbled Bernski at her elbow, meekly displaying a small swatch of deep forest green cloth. “I-if not, I c-can find something better, if you’re not too mad at me for picking the wrong one…”

Bert sidestepped past her, moving to a small wooden board by the entryway and posting several papers upon it with tacks. “This will be your schedule for training and classes while attending the Academy as a member of the Black Eagles,” he muttered, his dark stringy hair partially covering one grim golden eye. “You are allowed one free day every week to spend at your leisure, as indicated by your calendar. I urge you not to waste time in frivolous pursuits or idle chatter and engage in something more productive.”

Huntress bustled past her as well, holding two sheathed swords and belt buckles, one much more ornate than the other. “These are your officer’s dress swords, friend Hapi. If you have the need, I can show you how to wear them with efficiency. The nicest one is for ceremonies only.”

Hapi slowly walked inside the room. Her mouth was still hanging open as she looked around the vast space, which did not feel crowded even with the rest of her class members standing about. Her red eyes turned instantly to her left, studying the long bed with its ample covers and a thick, luscious pillow. She had never seen anything look so inviting. 

“Hapi? Are you all right? What’s the matter?” said Eddy, curious and concerned behind her. “Are you missing something?”

Doris was beside her in an instant, a bangled arm draping easily over Hapi’s hunched shoulders, her green eyes sparking with sympathy. “She just needs a moment, Edie. I think Hapi’s like me. She’s never had a room of her own before.”

Moving over to the bed, Hapi experimentally poked the white downy pillow. It was so soft. “I’ve never even had my own bed before,” she said slowly, still in a state of astonished disbelief.

“My word! Are the conditions in the Abyss that deplorable?” sputtered Fernado in outrage.

“Ferdie, please shut up for once in your life and show tact,” whispered Doris crossly at him.

“I am so sorry, Hapi,” said Eddy, her brow now furrowed, a white glove raised before her as if to ward off Hapi’s anger. “This was thoughtless of me, but I was so eager to have you quickly accommodated among us…” the Princess trailed off.

“No, no,” Hapi told her, sitting down heavily on the mattress, taking a moment to focus on her breathing. “I just need a minute. I mean, I knew things were nice up here topside, but I had no idea just  _ how _ nice,” she said, looking at the vast rough glass paned windows, with the afternoon sunlight streaming into the room. Her room, now. There was even a red and black patterned rug on the floor so she could go around barefoot if she wanted. Compared to every other place she had slept before in her life, this was a Goddess-damned palace. A cell, a church, the Abyss. She raised her crimson eyes with uncertainty to her classmates, who were observing her with varying degrees of sympathy...or none, in Bert’s case. “I mean...I can work to help pay for some of this, right? I’m pretty good with horses and pegasi, so I can sweep stables and take care of them. Or I can work in the fields, or the orchards…”

Now Eddy’s iron willed Princess demeanor asserted itself as she frowned down at her. “You owe nothing to the Church, or to any of us. This is my gift for you, for your brave and skilled assistance from our many recent battles. I was able to make the arrangements easily with Seteth, in exchange for our silence regarding the…’incident,’ as they are calling it.”

Behind his liege, the Bert chuckled deeply at the reference. “It will be months before Garreg Mach Cathedral is restored enough for daily services. Coupled with other events, the Western Church has declared a full schism from the Central Church, with its High Bishop declaring himself the true Archbishop of Seiros. They have even conjured an appropriately grotesque name for the event: ‘The Night of Screaming Blood.’ It is being taken as a Holy Sign directly from the Goddess Herself that Lady Rhea is no longer fit to rule.”

Barely listening to Bert, Hapi focused more on Eddy’s words, her eyes lingering on Eddy’s smooth white gloves. “Are you sure you’re not just helping me because of…”

Eddy stepped forward and faced her directly. “I am merely helping a friend. All that I ask in return is you continue to show me your power in our training and missions ahead of us,” the Princess stated firmly. But minutely she shook her head, her vivid eyes pleading with unsaid emotions.

Hanging her head, Hapi chewed at the inside of her cheek. Shit. That was stupid of her. For whatever reason, Eddy wanted to keep her past a secret from the others. And she was guarding Hapi’s own past, as well, giving her the choice and discretion to tell others at her own pace. Chatterbox and Eddy hadn’t even mentioned her curse to the rest of the Black Eagles. That was a level of trust that surpassed her expectations, and frankly, to be honest, she didn’t feel ready for it.

But still...could she really fess up about her past to her new classmates? On her own?

Calming herself by focusing on the here and now, Hapi nodded up at Eddy. “Sounds good to me. Will do mildew.” She raised her head higher and looked around. “You there, Bernski? Sorry for ignoring you.”

Bernski peeked her messy purple head from behind Bert’s tall back. “Oh! Um, well, you’re okay. You were having a moment. I-I mean, I have them too, s-so I kind of understand.”

Hapi smiled gently at that. “Thanks. But I think that color you picked out looks awesome. How’d you know I like green?”

Giving her a shy smile in return, Bernski said, “Well...you mentioned you liked foraging and hiking in the woods...so I thought...maybe…”

“Nah, you did great. Thanks again.” 

“You need some other supplies, won’t you dear? I may have some extra in my room,” nodded Doris. Her voice was light and easy, but her eyes were still full of concern. “Believe me, if you’re overwhelmed by the beds here, dear, I think you’ll need our support when we visit the cafeteria.”

Hapi stared blankly at the brunette. “The what?”

* * *

The Black Eagles stared at Hapi in varying degrees of amazement, disgust, and indulgence.

“Oh man! Hapi, you even give me a run for my money,” burped Spar from his place opposite from her, pushing away his clean plate with deep satisfaction. 

Bert curled his lip in disgust at her from above his barely touched meat pie. “Unbelievable.” That was his only comment.

Linny was awake for once, looking at her with half-lidded interest, resting his chin with his elbow on the table. “Hapi, if you manage to leave any leftovers, please give them to me. For research purposes, of course,” he yawned.

Bernski smiled shyly from her seat, her half-eaten plate of vegetables in front of her. “Oh, wow, Hapi! Um, I’m so happy you like it! Heehee, sorry, I couldn’t resist!”

Smiling fondly by her side and demurely finishing her own helping, Eddy said to the group, “Despite her manners, one cannot doubt Hapi’s passion for good food.”

Hapi leaned back, patting her stomach after her fifth helping of Peach Sorbet, not bothering to wipe her lips. Or her chin. “So fucking good,” she muttered. “Thanks for the treat, Bernski.” The shy girl blushed even brighter at the praise, nodding her messy bangs at her.

“You like sweets?”

The Black Eagle class tensed at the deep voice. Hapi turned in her fancy high back chair with difficulty, but looked up to see a masked man dressed in white red military dress, with long platinum blonde hair. He was holding a tray that had a helping of the cool dessert too.

Hapi hiccoughed, hiding a belch as she pushed her second tray away. Then smiled up at the man in easy, lazy contentment. “Yeah I do. Who’re you?”

In anticipation, Eddy leaned next to her ear, whispering. “Hapi, it might not be the best idea…”

“I am Jeritza,” the man spoke in a dead voice. “I am your Combat Instructor here at the monastery.”

Hapi stared him down through his mask. He returned her frank gaze with an intimidating glare of his own.

The Fernado attempted to intervene, his earnest manner belied by a sweatdrop running down from his hair. “You see, Hapi, Professor Jeritza von Hrym is a very serious and somewhat private man, and is an exceptionally exacting taskmaster...therefore it might be best to call him…”

“Ice Cream,” said Hapi abruptly. There was a collective intake of breath around the table.

“What?” said a baffled Ice Cream.

_ In for a penny _ , Hapi thought fatalistically. “I make up nicknames for people. So you’re Ice Cream. Nice to meet a fellow dessert fan,” she explained bluntly.

“Ice Cream…” muttered the bemused man.

“Yup. You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ice Cream,” smiled Hapi with a crimson wink.

“....” Jeritza was silent for a long moment. Hapi could almost feel the entire class of Black Eagles sweating next to her. The buzzing sounds of conversation and clinking silverware faded into the background. She briefly wondered if she had made her last mistake, since Ice Cream had a katana sheathed at his hip, and he looked like he could use it. Easily.

Then Ice Cream smiled down at her, a fleeting thing from under his mask. “I will allow it. The screams...they are...amusing. Thank you.” Turning his back to them, he moved to the faculty table in the dining hall, conspicuously sitting in front of Professor Chatterbox.

“Amazing,” breathed Fernado, shaking his head in wonder.

“For once I agree with you Ferdie,” said Doris, adjusting her cap and brushing some locks back into place.

“And I am forced to concur as well,” Bert said with a long sigh of relief. He stared grimly at Hapi from his place at the dining table. “You took an extraordinary risk, Hapi. Professor Jertiza is not a man known for his sense of humor.”

“No, he is not,” muttered Eddy. A white glove brushed her shoulder. “Please take more care in the future, Hapi. While the nicknames are an amusing quirk, there are some people here at the monastery who may take...offense. Remember, our positions and stations here are at the whims of the Church.”

“Meh. I can take care of myself,” snorted Hapi, hiding her own discomfiture from the close brush. “But maybe you’re right. Might be better to ask for permission in the future. Don’t want to paint a target on my back.”

“Why are you having a painting on the back?” asked Huntress in confusion. Then the foreign girl’s face lit up. “Oh! I see now! You are having a tattoo like mine?” 

* * *

“Whoa,” muttered Hapi in awe, tilting her head up to look around. “That’s a lotta books.”

“The Church has had a thousand years to cultivate and curate this collection,” agreed Bert as he showed her around the musty tall stacks. Fernado and Spar had gone off to hit the training grounds, along with Huntress. Linny reluctantly followed them, mumbling something about “having to heal idiots.” Bernski ran back to her room, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of compliments she had gotten for her dessert. Doris and Eddy had trailed behind them to go to the library, with Eddy stoically withstanding the opera singer’s light verbal teasing with polished, ironclad responses.

“As a fellow Dark Mage, you will be spending most of your time studying with me,” the Bert went on, giving her the grand tour. Eddy and Doris had split off for an impromptu magical tutoring session to allow Bert time to show her the library’s collection. He swiftly led Hapi through the twisting paths before he stopped before a cordoned off section of the library, indicating the stacks of dark and ancient books with silver glyphs and white seals bearing the symbol of the Church of Seiros on their spines with a wave of his hand. “While the selection is pitifully scant, the Church does bear a modest selection of Dark Magic volumes, mainly focused on defenses against it. However,” the man’s lips quirked up into an evil smile, “you know very well that the main focus of Dark Magic is offense, not defense. I leave the paltry healing and warping spells to those who study only White Anima.”

Ignoring Bert’s dramatics, Hapi bent her head sideways to better read the titles of the archaic titles. She recognized a great many of them, but there were a few that were new to her. The familiar and standard _Compendium of Light and Darkness_ sat prominently among smaller, lesser volumes, some still written in their Ancient languages. _Ars Goetia_ and the _Pseudomonarchia Daemonum_ she recognized, but she could not wait to break open the new ones, her gaze devouring them greedily: _The Book of Thoth_ , _Curses of Anankos_ , _The Towers of Guidance_ , _Tales of Beedle the Bard_ , _The Origin of Species_ …

Bert kept speaking as she listened with half an ear. “While I trust Lady Edelgard’s judgement and consider your skills impressive, let me make one thing abundantly clear. If you show yourself to be in any way a threat to my Lady or the Empire in any fashion, rest assured that I will eliminate you. I am very adept in arranging…’accidents.’”

“Yeah yeah,” muttered Hapi with a roll of her eyes, turning away from the fascinating bookshelf. “I get it. Overprotective and overzealous retainer, touch of older brother syndrome, probably overcompensating for a previous failure. Nice to know that even you can have a guilty conscience, Bert.”

“Do not think your ignorant attempts at constant mockery give you any leeway,” the pale man hissed back, looming over her like a stormcloud and folding his arms. “This is not the idle boasting you may have done with the refuse below Garreg Mach. Be rest assured, that despite my lack of Crest, I am your superior in the Dark Arts.”

“Cool. Who forced you to learn it?” asked Hapi in a bland tone, entirely unafraid and unintimidated. She didn’t doubt he was serious, in his own way, but he had Yuri-bird’s flair for the dramatic. Hell, maybe he could even give Coco a run for her money.

“No one,” said Bert grimly, finally abandoning the theatrics when he saw it was leaving no impression. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then said, “The political circumstances in the Empire have...forced me to take this road of my own volition. I have forged myself to become my Lady’s perfect weapon, an instrument of the path she must one day walk.”

Hapi snorted slightly. “That’s swell. But I don’t think Eddy wants weapons. I think she just needs friends. Kinda lonely at the top, if you know what I mean.”

Bert scoffed in return. “It is a burden she is ready to accept one day, and I will always try to assist her in any trifling way that I may.”

“So you’re friends?” said Hapi, squinting at him.

“I am her servant, first and always,” answered Bert with a small shrug.

“So you’re not friends.” 

“The last thing Lady Edelgard needs is ridiculous emotional attachments that will hold her back from her goals,” he sneered. “I have sworn my life to her will. If I fall in her service, then I have merely fulfilled my duty, unlike other nobles in the Empire. For that matter, what gives  _ you _ , a refugee from the Abyss, the right to call the future Emperor of Adrestia a ‘friend?’”

Hapi shrugged. “She saved my life. So did Chatterbox. They didn’t have to. Being pals seems an easy way to pay it back.”

“Ex _ cuse _ me,” said a piping, acidly sarcastic voice. “If you two are  _ quite _ done having your verbal sparring match, some of us are here at the library to actually  _ study _ .”

“My apologies, Lady Lysithea,” said Bert with a small grin, stepping aside. “But this may be a fortuitous coincidence. I was just showing the newest Black Eagle and a fellow Dark Mage the library’s collection. Hapi, may I present to you Lady Lysithea von Ordelia, daughter of one of the Five Great Lords of the Leicester Alliance.”

“Hmph,” grunted the short little girl, ignoring the introduction, hefting a stack of heavy, dusty books to shove back onto the shelves. Hapi studied the new Academy girl, curious. She had hair that was almost like Eddy’s, but even more snowy white, lacking the princess’ metallic luster. And she was even tinier than Eddy, with short arms and legs and a thin body that made her dark gold-trimmed Academy uni hang around her frame in wrinkles. She looked as frail as a bird.

“Paint a picture, it’ll last longer,” snarked the bratty girl in reaction to her stare. Shoving the last of the grimoires back into place, she huffed from the mild physical exertion while studying Hapi in return. Then recognition flashed in her pink irises. “Oh, I know you. You’re Balthus’ friend, aren’t you? The one who can summon--”

“--lots of Miasmas and Banshees, that’s me,” interrupted Hapi, her lips tight. She shook her head a fraction, knowing Bert was observing them with interest.

The brat had sense enough to know when to shut her mouth, at least. “Fine. I understand.” The albino’s gaze swung up to the Bert. “And what are you doing here, other than standing around acting like a ghoul without his graveyard? I thought you never left Edelgard’s side.” Instantly Hapi’s opinion of the sassy girl soared and she smiled. Ganging up on Bert never got old.

“Lady Edelgard is being privately tutored by Dorothea in the basics of Anima,” he replied with poor grace. “I was against it, but our Professor insisted. So now in addition to her martial and tactical training, she must supplement it with lessons in magic.” His gaze shifted between Lysithea and Hapi, a smile growing on his pale face. “But look at the three of us here, at this moment, together. Three Dark Mages in the same class of Garreg Mach? What are the odds? This feels...preordained.”

“You’re a Dark Mage too?” frowned Hapi at the short girl. She couldn’t imagine someone even younger than herself being taught Dark Magic. That was just sick. “But you’re just a kid. What happened to you?”

The mild question sparked a tirade. “What happened is that I constantly suffer fools like you who doubt my abilities, simply because of my age and appearance,” the kid snapped back, clenching a tiny fist. “I will be the first person in history to master all three paths of Anima, mark my words. I have the highest grades in the monastery, by far, and I could already be a Professor at any School of High Sorcery on the continent if I wanted too!” 

“Yeesh, fine. Sorry I asked,” muttered Hapi, clenching her teeth to prevent a long suffering sigh from escaping. “Maybe we can study together sometime, if you’re that good. Eddy’s already harping on me to start training for something called the Battle of Beagle and Brian.”

“We’ll be opponents for that training exercise, so no, we  _ won’t _ be studying together. And it’s called the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, idiot! I don’t know how Garreg Mach Academy allows brain damaged people like you to attend here,” the bratty kid said, then flounced off, her white hair billowing behind her. 

Bert chuckled in amusement, watching the short teen noblewoman weave through the library’s stacks. “Lady Lysithea is quite amusing, isn’t she? She is almost endearing in her lack of self-awareness about her attitude.” 

“She sure has a chip on her shoulder,” agreed Hapi, feeling weird to be agreeing with her fellow adult in the room. Then her smile widened. She had the perfect name for the next time she met the white haired little girl.

Soon they were engaged in a discussion of Dark Magic philosophy. Quickly Hapi realized that Bert was not kidding. His grasp of magical theory and spellcraft matched even Coco’s expertise. But Hapi had been practicing Dark Magic since she was eleven. What she lacked in technical terms and jargon laden explanations, she made it up through hard-earned intuition. 

Their debate over the practical effects of the Banshee spell were soon interrupted by Doris’ lilting voice, carried through the stacks. A few moments later, Eddy was rounding the corner to approach them, a storming frown on her delicate face. “...oh come on, Edie. It was just a question!” The songstress appeared soon after, her long legs easily matching Eddy’s stride.

“If you cannot keep your focus for a simple tutoring session, then I have many more productive uses of my time,” said Eddy peevishly behind her red caped shoulder, poorly masking her irritation. She joined her retainer and Hapi, although her eyes stayed rigidly focused on Bert, flicking away from looking at the redhead directly. “Do you think Hapi is sufficiently acquainted with the library now, Hubert?”

Bert nodded briefly down at Hapi before facing his liege. “I believe so, my Lady. We will try to have a study session together to help bring her in line with a curriculum. Perhaps tomorrow. I will speak to the Professor about it.”

“Good,” said Eddy, who finally glanced at Hapi, only for Eddy to quickly avert her eyes again. What was up with Double D? She was acting weird, while Doris was lingering nearby with a smug expression on her face. “Forgive me, Hapi, but Hubert and I have some Imperial business to discuss before bed. I hope you have a pleasant first night here at the Academy, and I will see you tomorrow.” With a final, jerky nod from the royal face, Eddy and Bert swept from the library, leaving Hapi and Doris alone in the stacks.

Hapi curled an eyebrow at a softly laughing Doris. “Um. What just happened?”

“Nothing, dear, nothing at all,” tittered Doris. “Edie can simply get flustered by the simplest of questions, is all.”

“Oh, tell me about it,” said Hapi with a smile of her own. “I asked once what she liked about the outdoors. Took her almost five whole minutes to answer. She’s an overthinker, all right.”

“That she is! But if we work together, the Professor, you, and myself can wear her down. Edie and Hubie would be so much more pleasant if they took a page from Lin’s book and simply relaxed once in a while.”

Remembering Eddy’s revelations to her, Hapi considered the criticism. “I dunno. Hard to relax if you don’t feel safe. So I get that too. After what went down in the Cathedral...and all,” she finished lamely, looking around her shoulder in case a random monk or sister overheard her.

Doris clapped her hands together brightly. “I know the perfect place to talk about that, Hapi,” she said eagerly. “I’m sure Petra will agree, and maybe even Edie too, if she stopped by the training grounds to check on the others. We still haven’t given you the full tour.” The green eyes of the songstress practically sang with excitement. “You absolutely have to see the sauna!”

“The what?” stared Hapi blankly.

* * *

Steam whirled around the three girls inside the wooden interior of the women’s sauna.

“Okay, you were right. This feels fucking amazing,” Hapi said evenly, biting her lip hard, hoping the pain would keep her from sighing. Once feeling on an even keel again, she inhaled the warm, moist air into her lungs, feeling her body temperature rise and her muscles beginning to relax as she leaned her bare shoulders back against the polished wood.

Doris pouted next to Huntress, wrapped up in a towel for modesty and her long locks flowing over her shoulders. “I don’t see why Edie keeps refusing to join us. Bernadetta I understand, so I don’t press the poor thing lest she explode. But I had thought for certain…”

Huntress spoke firmly to Doris, patting her thigh familiarly. “You must let others move at their own step, Dorothea,” said the partially nude Brigid Princess, a towel wrapped around her waist. “Edelgard is a private person. She will share her time with us when she is ready.”

“She’s got the right of it,” nodded Hapi to her fellow outsider. Thinking of what she could say to guard her friend’s secret, she added, “Eddy tends to freak out if she feels too exposed. But I get it. She’s got an image to protect.”

The songstress hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve never thought of it that way, but you may be right, Hapi dear. It’s just strange to consider someone raised in a palace having trust issues, when there are so many hands willing to protect and feed them.”

They were quiet for many more long moments after that, enjoying the gentle ambiance of the sauna and the slow hiss of steam rising from the superheated stones. Hapi could feel her long tangled locks growing damp, wilting and growing flat on her head, when Huntress’ voice made her open her eyes. 

“Friend Hapi. What are your marks signifying? If you do not mind me speaking,” the princess asked curiously, raising her head from Doris’ shoulder.

Unconsciously she raised a hand to brush at her scars. “My kidnapper gave them to me,” answered Hapi, remembering Eddy not wanting her to name Cornelia directly. After a while, Hapi could see that was smart advice. Loose lips sink ships. “A crazy mage lady captured me when I was ten off the streets. Put me in a cage and did experiments on me.”

“What?” whispered Doris in horror, hands over her mouth in shock. “Oh, Goddess, you poor thing…”

Shaking her wet hair, Hapi pushed down her memories, keeping her breathing steady. “It’s fine. I’m good now. I managed to escape and find refuge in a Church. Stayed with a bunch of nuns for several years, who were very nice. But then...after a while...the Knights showed up. They said they could help me, but all they did was throw me down into the Abyss. Back into another cage.”

“I am sorrowful to hear that,” said Huntress, her solemn face completely devoid of guile. “I have understanding of...cages. They are deadly to the spirit.”

Hapi studied the Brigid princess and her words for a moment, before slowly nodding. “I get it. You’re a princess, but Brigid lost the war against the Empire. Whatever it was called. So you’re a hostage.”

“Yes,” said Huntress grimly, her clenched fists turning her knuckles white. “Hostage. That was one of the first words of Fódlan I learned. But one day, I will be bringing freedom to my country. No matter what.” Doris rubbed a calming hand on her partner’s knee.

Interested now, and briefly wondering if the Adrestian Empire had the slightest idea what it was forging in the powerful Princess, Hapi asked, “But wait a sec. How’d you get into Garreg Mach then? Seems like a bad idea to make you even deadlier than you already are.”

Both other women laughed at the joke. “It was Edelgard,” smiled Huntress. “She has been my friend now for many years. She said she also understood what it was like to be in the cage, and swore to help me out of mine. It was her insistence making me join the Black Eagles.”

“Edie’s very sweet like that, isn’t she?” said Doris with a wink. “She’s so adorably earnest, trying to run around and help everyone. It’s only because of her and the Professor’s hard work that Bern can finally come out of her room now.”

A flash of bleak insight gripped Hapi. That was Eddy. And that’s why Hapi knew, on a deep and instinctual level, that she could always trust the Adrestian Princess.

Eddy knew what it was like to live in a cage. Even while making sure no one else knew that truth about her. It was kind of heartbreaking, truth be told. Hapi wondered if Bert knew. It would definitely explain his obsessive protectiveness.

Doris’ beautiful face turned calculating while Hapi ruminated. “Hapi. Petra and I promise not to tell a soul, but I know that look. Perhaps I’ll get a clearer answer out of you than her. So, my dear,” she whispered, leaning forward conspiratorially, “Do you like Edie?”

Hapi smiled at the brazenness. “Yeah, I do,” she said without shame, before giving a careless shrug. “Not getting my hopes up, though. She’s a princess, and I’m foreign commoner trash.”

Doris’ beautiful face burst into a fit of giggles, nearly falling out of her towel. “I’m commoner trash, and I found my princess,” she said, turning to give Huntress a quick peck on the nose. The Brigid princess’ face turned red from more than the steam in the air. Blithely continuing on, the actress added, “You know how serious Edie is. She wouldn’t do all of this for you on a whim. So there has to be something there between the two of you, right?” 

That logic tracked somewhat. But could Hapi really make herself see it? In the exhausted aftermath of the battle with the Umbral Beast, when she was delirious from blood loss, Hapi had thought anything might be possible. Now? She thought of her curse, her status, Eddy’s status, and the crazy mages still out there. She had a pretty good gig right now. The last thing she wanted was to screw it up.

Realizing Doris and Huntress were waiting for her to respond, Hapi said slowly, “Maybe you’re right. But more than being ten feet of serious in a five foot cup, Eddy’s all about being in control. She’’s driving the team, not me. So for now...we’re just friends.

“Not,” Hapi went on with a wag of her eyebrows, “that I would mind living in a palace.”

The two younger women laughed at that. Wiping a tear from her eye, Doris said, “See, that’s why I’m glad to have you here at least, Hapi. Edie has been so uptight since the Professor got her Relic from that musty old mausoleum, she’s been so difficult to talk to. And then she disappears for an entire week, and the Professor is hardly in class during all that time. And then you show up! So. Do tell us all about your adventures, my dear. Your first meeting, your first thrilling battle together, everything! Lin has only given me the barest details of what you all were up to underground.”

Remembering the events of the swarms of invaders in the Abyss, leading up to them stealing the Chalice, Aelfric’s betrayal and death, the horrifying discovery it was all about resurrecting Chatterbox’s mom, the memories coupled with the warm and tranquil atmosphere. Lost in thought, Hapi inhaled sharply without thinking.

And then slowly exhaled, through her mouth. 

The other two Black Eagles stared at her in sudden confusion as Hapi clapped her hands over her lips, her eyes wide with pure horror.

* * *

Professor Chatterbox and Professor Ice Cream stood with their dripping swords over the oozing, feathery corpse of the giant roc outside the steaming ruins of the wrecked sauna.

Nearby, a very wet and bedraggled Hapi sat miserably on the stone steps, partially clothed and covered with a blanket. Behind her, Huntress was calming down a shaken and alarmed Doris, who had not reacted well to the unexpected monster attack. At least it had occurred near the training grounds, which had brought the Professors running, Hapi thought sullenly. The cool breeze of the Verdant Rain evening air brought goosebumps to her exposed flesh, while crowds of monks and Knights and students milled about in confusion around the monster’s body.

“Dorothea, my nightingale, how are you feeling? Are you feeling the betters now?” soothed Huntress anxiously, rubbing Doris’ shoulders through the songstress’ own blanket.

Doris huffed a strand of wet hair away from her face. “Oh, perfectly better, darling, for someone who was attacked by a giant bird monster while I was naked. How did that even happen? How did it get past the Knights?” The words were mild and valid, but Hapi felt the fear and shame inside of her burning her like a particularly nasty Miasma. She hunched her shoulders and focused with all of her might on the cobbled stone ground, keeping her breathing steady despite the urge to cry in despair. Why did she even bother getting her hopes up? Why was she always this stupid? This was always how it was going to end. Maybe Yuri-bird could do her a solid and give her back her old bunk.

Booted, greaved feet clanked nearby from Hapi’s peripheral vision, and a loud male voice rang out “There! That’s what caused it! I knew it when the alarm went out! What’s this vile heathen dark-magicker doing up topside with  _ normal _ people?”

Hapi didn’t even bother to raise her head to face the accusation, but she felt Doris and Huntress stand up behind her, wrapped in nothing but blankets. “How  _ dare  _ you?!” spat Doris. “We just survive a monster attack and that’s all you think about?”

The unknown Knight of Seiros’ voice echoed loudly through the monastery. “It’s because she’s the one who caused it! She’s a cursed piece of Abyss trash! I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the one who tempted and corrupted Bishop Aelfric!” Murmurs went up from the crowd, and Hapi felt the weight of the stares and revulsion from the group against her skin.

“You will not dishonor my friend with your words,” Huntress’ voice blazed back with quiet, dignified fury. Their loyal support only made Hapi’s shame and guilt burn more intently. Once they found out, they’d treat her the exact same way. It was no more than she deserved, for putting them at risk from her curse.

The man’s voice oozed a sneer through his visor. “Quiet, brat ‘Princess.’ I should have known all the commoner disbelievers would have gotten together from the start. Birds of a feather--hurrrk!”

There was a clang, with shocked cries, and the Knight’s armored body crumpled to the ground. Hapi looked up to see her Professor with the unsheathed glowing Sword of the Creator in her hand, looking at her swollen left fist with mild interest. She had knocked the Knight out through his helmet with one punch.

“Please don’t disrespect my students,” said the Professor with her flat affect to the unconscious Knight, yet the words were heard by everyone in the suddenly subdued audience of gawkers. She turned to her colleague. “Jeritza. Will you duel me a favor?”

“Yes,” he replied in his monotone. Through his white half-mask, Hapi saw Ice Cream regarding her with his steady, unblinking stare.

“Get rid of the crowd. Show’s over. Looks like we’ll be having drumsticks tomorrow.”

“Yes,” he agreed. With a nod to her and the Professor, Ice Cream turned and advanced on the crowd, his bloody sword in hand. The students instantly made themselves scarce, and the remaining Knights and monks soon found ways to keep themselves busy with the giant corpse or the broken masonry and piping.

Hapi averted her face, awaiting her punishment as Doris and Huntress shuffled uneasily behind her. But Chatterbox simply knelt down, her face unreadable as she caught Hapi’s attention. A gentle hand raised Hapi’s chin so Chatterbox could face her directly.

“We need to talk,” said Chatterbox quietly.

* * *

Was there anything more awkward than dressing in fresh clothes in your Professor’s bedroom? Despite all that, Hapi trusted Chatterbox; the ex-merc had saved her life numerous times in their adventures through the Abyss, after all. And she had proven that she was no Church stooge, either. So out of anyone in charge here at Garreg Mach, Hapi felt that Chatterbox would give her a break over this lapse.

“Are you finished?” asked the Professor, writing something on her desk, her back turned to give Hapi some token modesty.

“Yeah,” she said. The wool of the fresh black Academy uniform felt even scratchier than normal on her skin, but Hapi managed to settle in the remaining chair in the room, keeping her words short and clipped, breathing only through her nose. “Just glad no one got hurt. And, um, sorry that the sauna got wrecked.”

The Professor stacked some various papers, then recapped her inkwell and set her quill aside. Facing her, she leaned back in her own seat, her golden chest medallion flashing before Hapi. “No sweat,” she answered blandly.

Hapi stared at her.

Chatterbox tilted her head. “That was supposed to be a joke.”

“I know,” Hapi replied, her eyebrows arching. “And it was terrible. Are you  _ trying _ to make me sigh? You know that’s why I avoid Punhead.”

“I think we need to improve your control,” nodded the Professor. Hapi opened her mouth to contest, but snapped it back shut when Chatterbox raised a hand. “I know it is normally very good. I know how hard it is for you. But I think Edelgard and I made a mistake, trying to bring you up to speed too quickly with the rest of the class. This has been a stressful adjustment for you, even if we all agree it’s a positive one.”

Hapi considered her Professor’s words. Sorting through emotions was hard when you had to analyze them detachedly, and always focus on your breathing. “So you think...me being in a nice situation for once in my life...is a bad thing?” she hazarded a guess.

Chatterbox shook her head. “Not bad. Just different. It’s an adjustment. But unexpected and novel situations can happen at any time. That’s why I’ll be testing your control occasionally. With bad jokes. Consider them pop quizzes.”

Shaking her head in wonder, Hapi said, “You serious?”

Chatterbox leaned forward, her blue eyes twinkling and face artfully stoic. “No. I’m Seiros.”

“Stars, kill me now,” Hapi rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips.

A knock at the door interrupted them. “Please come in,” the Professor announced.

Eddy quickly entered the room, her silver locks and hair ribbons out of place in a rare display of distress, her red half-cape billowing behind her. “I came as quickly as I could once I heard the news,” she said, her normally smooth face creased with worry. “Are you all right, Hapi?”

Chewing the interior of her cheek to keep breathing steady, Hapi nodded. “Fine, fine. Sorry about this. Should probably tell Doris and Huntress what really happened.”

Eddy instantly shook her head in the negative. “You do not have to do that! If you wish to keep your past to yourself, that is your own business, and no one else’s,” she declared fiercely. 

Chatterbox stood to confront her star student. “And what if your past can potentially endanger everyone around you?”

Eddy’s expression flashed with something unreadable. “We’ve discussed something like this before, my teacher,” the princess said, crossing her arms.

Now even their Professor sighed. “And nothing’s changed, Edelgard. I would tell you if I could.” Hapi watched Eddy’s and Chatterbox’s faces carefully, feeling like an intruder in a private conversation. There was something weird going on there, but she felt it probably had to do with Chatterbox’s own past.

Or Eddy’s, Hapi thought with a chill.

“Jeritza and I don’t really mind if Hapi sighs. It’s good training, and free food,” the Professor continued. “But I don’t think Bernadetta would feel the same way. Or Linhardt. Or Marianne, or Ignatz, or Mercedes, or Lysithea. In any case, it won’t be a secret for long. We weren’t the only ones in the Abyss, remember?”

“That is true. Hilda and Claude will undoubtedly make the connection. And then there’s Linhardt,” Eddy said with a sigh of her own. “You’ve made your point.” Her lips forming a small moue, she turned to lay a reassuring hand on Hapi’s shoulder. “I can be by your side if you need my support when you tell the rest of the Black Eagles.”

Hapi snorted and bowed her head, even while leaning into Eddy’s touch slightly. “What do I even say? ‘Hey gang. Sorry for almost getting you killed?’”

Chatterbox nodded formally to both of them. “That might be a good start.”

* * *

To her honest surprise, the Black Eagles supported her to a person when she confessed everything about her curse in the classroom later the next day.

Doris was unflappable at the news; perhaps even sympathetic. She took it far too easily in stride. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Hapi! I should have known better than to pry too much, darling,” said the songstress breezily, giving her a warm smile and a wink.

Huntress’ brown eyes were gleaming with feral excitement. “You can summon beasts to you? Now I  _ know _ we must go hunting together, friend Hapi.” The Brigid Princess turned happily to Eddy, who was standing by her side. “This will be how I can be shooting two birds with one arrow, Edelgard! The beasts will come to me!” she declared, her fist on her sword hilt.

“How unfortunate. You’ve been met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” said the Bert, looking between her and Eddy. Slowly he nodded to himself, as if finally figuring out a particularly challenging puzzle. 

“I think we should go out of our way to make Hapi as comfortable as possible,” said Linny with a lazy smile. “That should minimize the possibility of being eaten, and it’s only a relatively modest investment of time and effort.”

Spar looked grouchy next to his best friend, folding his arms. “I can’t believe everyone in this class except me has some cool talent or ability! If I could summon monsters, you’d better believe that everyone would know me as Caspar the Beastmaster!”

“I’m just glad to not be the only one cursed in this class!” muttered Bernski, giving Hapi another tiny smile of support, but then she frowned to herself, becoming more agitated. “I’d almost prefer it if my sighing summoned monsters! At least you can be sure they want to kill you! Instead, when I sigh, it just seems to summon people who pretend to be nice, but then only want to cut my throat and stuff my body into a trunk, and finally leave me in a ditch by the side of the road!”

“Bernadetta, please,” sighed Eddy next to her, covering her eyes with a hand. “No one here wants to kill you. You are safe here.”

“Says you!” wailed Bernski in protest. “Ever since I was kidnapped here, I’ve been scared witless by Hubert, thrown around like a bag of rice by Caspar, nearly run through by Felix, and Ingrid broke down my door!”

“Well…” Fernado coughed delicately, “leaving that issue aside, I believe that our classmate is deserving of our support and resolve,” he added, with a determined cast to his noble face. Hapi was shocked when the carrot top nobleman bowed to her. “Please, let me know if I can be of any assistance in giving you comfort or aid. I did not realize what a terrible burden you have been struggling with. I dearly hope we find the blackguards who did this to you, that we may one day bring them to justice.”

At that, Eddy shared a glance with Hapi, who shrugged. They had been deliberately vague about the origins of Hapi’s curse, not mentioning Cornelia by name, or the location of where Hapi had been abducted. From Bert’s face, though, it looked like he already knew, and Linny would likely be a half-step behind him. Eddy inclined her head, indicating she would follow Hapi’s lead. Clenching her clasped fingers together in front of her, Hapi stepped forward and said to her classmates, “Don’t worry about it, Fernado. It’s no biggie now. And you guys don’t need to treat me any differently. I just need to manage myself better.”

“Edie...could Professor Manuela possibly help? Or Professor Hanneman?”

“Sadly, I do not believe so, Dorothea,” said Eddy with a regretful shake of her head.

“And yeah, not putting up with any more poking or prodding,” said Hapi firmly to her class. Harshly, she tamped down on her memories, especially one of a voice belonging to a cooing, vicious harpy. “I’ve had enough of that for a whole lifetime. Besides, even the Knights decided my curse was too much for them to break. So it’s better just to let me deal with it. Maybe avoid me altogether. I won’t hold it against you.”

“Oh, come here, you poor thing,” said Doris, equally firm. The tall songstress stepped forward and embraced her gently. Hapi went rigid at the contact, but Doris hugged her even tighter in response. “We’ll just have to be on our toes, but we’ll manage all the same,” she crooned softly.

“And I could probably do some research on the matter,” Linny told her with a smile, his blue eyes wide awake and twinkling for once. “I imagine that your curse is almost certainly related to your Major Crest of Timotheus. I doubt Seteth has left anything about the Four Apostles on the main library’s shelves, in light of the recent events, but I believe Yuri and the Shadow Library could be of some use.”

“That’s the noble spirit, my Lord!” gushed the Fernado, pumping a fist in the air. “We will not abandon our new classmate in her hour of need! There may be a day when the bonds of friendship fail and the courage of men falter. But it is not this day! And who even knows? Perhaps such a unique ability could be used tactically on our future missions!”

“Perhaps one day, Ferdinand,” said Professor Chatterbox, opening the doors to the Black Eagle classroom and striding through, a tall redhead Academy student with an open uniform jacket behind her. She had returned from her meeting with the Archbishop. “But not for this one.”

“Hey guys, how’s it hanging,” said the smiling redhead in a casual voice, although his face appeared sunken, with dark bags under his eyes.

“Ah, Sylvain,” said Doris in a notably cool tone, stepping in front of Hapi as if trying to shield her from view. “What do we owe the pleasure of seeing you here with the Professor? You’re not transferring Houses, are you? Please say you’re not transferring Houses.” 

“No, no, I’m still a loyal Lion, ‘Thea,” said the man with a rakish laugh. “But I needed to come on this month’s mission with the Black Eagles, so I used all my considerable charm on your lovely Professor until she gave in.”

“It was the quickest way to shut him up,” agreed Professor Chatterbox, ignoring a loud protest from the man. “Also, our mission this month does concern someone he knows. That information may prove valuable.”

Eddy stepped forward to represent the Black Eagles. “And just what is the mission, Professor?”

After receiving a nod from the Professor, the Blue Lion explained it for her. “It’s my brother, Miklan,” said the redhead, his tone becoming less lighthearted and something grim. “He’s stolen my family’s Hero Relic from the family seat. And now he’s running wild with it all over northeastern Faerghus, looting and pillaging with a band of thugs. A big band of thugs, growing by the day.”

“How unfortunate,” said Eddy, tapping a finger to her cheek. “Yet I fail to see how it should concern the Church of Seiros...or the Black Eagle House. Would not Professor Hanneman and the Blue Lions have been a more prudent choice?”

“Rhea told me only a Relic may defeat a Relic,” said Chatterbox, looking down at the faintly glowing bone sword on her hip. “And since Catherine is unavailable, still fighting on missions against the Western Church…”

“Only the Sword of the Creator is available to defeat the Lance of Ruin,” Eddy finished for her Professor. Sighing, she said, “I see. I suppose there’s no help for it.”

“Hey, you know Faerghus has a ton of problems right now,” said the tall redhead noble with a wave of his hand. “Think of it as a goodwill mission. There’s the schism and everything, but now even the nobility is starting to fall apart in Faerghus. Dimitri was upset about it as well, but apparently there’s another purge of Duscar being planned, and they had to make a choice between putting down my shitty brother or trying to save more of Dedue’s people. So…” He spread his hands helplessly.

“It is sad that the poor Holy Kingdom is now besieged on all sides,” said the Bert, who did not appear sad about it at all. “And are there any Knights of Seiros accompanying us for this mission, Professor?”

“Jeritza said he wasn’t interested,” reported the Professor. She gave a mercenary’s shrug. “His loss. So I asked Shamir instead. She was on break here at the monastery, but I think her tracking experience will be invaluable. If Miklan’s group is as large as our intelligence indicates, they must have a base or a town they’re operating from.”

The Black Eagles were soon absorbed by the logistics and planning of their mission, and the route that they would take to Miklan’s last reported position. Disinterested, with most of the tactical preparation discussions going way over her head, Hapi hung back by the classroom’s fireplace. Faerghus was a cool climate, even the summer, and Hapi idly hoped the Academy had warmer clothes than this for themselves and their mounts. She was used to the cold from her childhood in Fhirdiad, but didn’t exactly have fond memories of it either. Cornelia had only begrudgingly given her enough blankets in her drafty room after that nice auburn haired lady had visited her during the winter that one time…

“Well well well, who do we have here?” said an ingratiating voice. A palm rested on the wall next to her head, blocking her space, attached to the brown eyes and cheerful face leering down on her. “I haven’t seen an exotic beauty like you around here before. You new to the Academy?”

Flicking a disdainful glance at him, Hapi looked past him, clasping her hands together to keep calm. “Yup. Second day in class. And by the way. Not interested, not sorry.”

He staggered back as if wounded, clutching his heart mockingly. “Oh, my Lady! Don’t do me harsh like that! We haven’t even been introduced! Name’s Sylvain,” he said with a roguish wink. “The most eligible noble bachelor in all of Garreg Mach, and the oh-so-lucky bearer of a Minor Crest of Gautier.”

“Good on you,” said Hapi laconically, stretching her arms to force him back, even as his stare drifted down to her chest. She ignored the asshole. “But I already got a Crest. Major Crest of Timotheus. Don’t think I need any more.”

“Major of whatheos?” he asked, briefly confused. Then he snapped his fingers in recognition. “Wait, I get it. Don’t tell me. You’re Constance’s friend, right? Yeah, she told me about you.”

“Cool beans. How’s Coco doing? She settled in her new job okay?” said Hapi, somewhat wistfully. While she was enjoying her time with the Black Eagles, not seeing Coco everyday was another adjustment. She missed her best bud, even though she was constantly ridiculous.

“Coco? Oh! You mean Constance? I mean, yeah, I guess,” grimaced the tall redhead, rubbing the back of his neck. “That woman’s a damn taskmaster. It’s only been a day, but she has me, Felix, and Ingrid all studying spellcraft and Black Anima. She’s even making Dedue and Dimitri work on the basics, to ‘strengthen their magical cores’ or something like that. Of course, she has Mercie and Annette and Professor Hanneman totally on her side, so we can’t really say no, and she has His Highness completely wrapped around her finger too, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

Snickering, Hapi nodded. “Sounds like our Coco. She’s a little off the beaten path, but she knows magic better than anyone else I know. She even made me better at Dark Magic.”

His eyes lit up and the grin returned. “You’re a Dark Mage? Wow. I could tell I was falling under your spell, but now...I’m completely bewitched by your charms.” Another not-so-casual lean against the wall, next to her head. “Maybe later tonight, after this planning session, we could go into town, grab something to eat, and then...get to know each other better?” Another wink. “I may need some extra tutoring for your friend’s assignments and tests…not to mention we’ll be fighting together...having to depend on each other with our very lives...” 

Keeping her face blank, she stared up at him and said, “I told you earlier you were barking up the wrong tree, Woody. So save it. Not interested. Kinda grossed out, actually. Might want to move before I barf on you.”

A loud peal of gleeful laughter came from behind Woody as he flushed deeply, his face now as red as his hair. Chagrinned, he turned around to see the Black Eagles, including Professor Chatterbox, all regarding him with amusement.

Doris was leaning hard against Huntress and Linny, all three of them gasping for air as they wheezed with mirth. Bernski and Bert were laughing outright as well, with quiet titters and a rich deep chuckle. Eddy and Fernado were desperately trying to keep their composure, covering their mouths with their hands. Professor Chatterbox even nodded in full approval towards Hapi.

Poor Spar just looked confused.

The rake did his best to laugh it off with them, quickly recovering with aplomb. “Hah! Oh wow. Woody. That’s...wow. Okay, I guess I got set up. Good one, guys,” he said, glancing back at Hapi. His crooked smile returned for one last try. “You know, I’m positively into smart and funny girls…”

A dangerous smile on her own dark face, Hapi said, “Cool. So am I. So back off, Woody. Try it again, taking a limb.”

Holding his palms up in surrender and bowing his head, Woody said, “Okay, okay! I’m definitely a tree who likes all of his limbs. I’ll be good. I promise.”

Spar’s teal eyes brightened just as the laughter was dying down. “Oh! Hey, I get it! Sylvain’s name means a tree...so you get...Woody! HA!” He grinned cheerfully to Hapi. “Good one, Hapi!”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is, setting the stage! Trying to follow a month/mission format, so fluff/action, fluff/action, etc. May have some change-ups tho, and some curveballs. It's AU, so I can do what I want!


	2. Oh, Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hapi attends the mission to Conand Tower with the Black Eagles, along with the Blue Lion Sylvain, aka "Woody."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CN/TW: Graphic violence, death scenes, implied scenes of rape/abuse/torture, abusive language against women, truly horrible and shameful puns
> 
> As always, beta'ed by my lovely partner [kenzotenma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenzotenma/pseuds/kenzotenma)! Please read their work!

Chapter Two: Oh, Brother

* * *

The rain poured endlessly from an iron sky.

Sitting hunched miserably in her saddle, Hapi shivered from the cold wetness that seeped into her bones through her sodden rain cloak, making them ache. Underneath her, she felt Nibbles trembling through her legs, her mount equally unhappy as they plodded through the mud through the Faerghus countryside. Calling the path they were following a “road” was an insult to roads.

The rest of the Black Eagles shared her misery. Up ahead in front of her, Huntress had begun shaking so badly that Professor Chatterbox had taken her off her mount, letting the smaller girl share her own saddle and body heat while tying the reins of the spare mount to her own. Fernado and Doris had attempted some half-hearted jabs at each other, but soon were huddled inside their own cloaks atop their mounts, too spent to trade any more barbed witticisms.

Behind her was the same story. The Bert was driving the wagon team, and doing a surprisingly decent job of it too, handling the reins connecting the four large draft horses with relative ease. Seated next to him, Bernski was huddled into an exhausted ball under his voluminous black cloak, too cold and wet to worry about propriety or anxiety. Spar and Lin were riding in the wagon interior with their gear, but often the wagon wheels would become stuck in the sinking mud, requiring either Lin’s wind magic or Spar’s muscle to free it.

Ahead of all of them was Eddy, riding on a white palfrey that ambled with ease through the mud, the hood of her red riding cloak down to expose her silversteel head. Despite being soaked, Eddy seemed like she was able to ignore the chill with ease, her lilac eyes alight with inner fire and her back still firm and straight with determination. She was talking with the elderly Knight on his own large brown warhorse, a dour faced man who appeared incapable of joy or even contentment. Hapi briefly had considered calling the sadsack old man something goofy like “Captain Fuzzysmiles,” but then she heard his true name and a bit of his history from Woody. So Guiltbert it was, then.

Aside from Eddy and Chatterbox, Woody was the only one seemingly able to ignore the Faerghus climate. Her fellow redhead rode beside her, his gauntleted fingers restlessly gripping the lance he carried in a saddle holster. If Hapi didn’t know the guy was completely devoid of character or honesty, he would appear every inch a handsome shining example of Knighthood. “Shouldn’t be too much farther,” he muttered, almost to himself. “Guess I always knew it would come to this someday.”

Shifting in her seat, Hapi felt the Faerghus nobleman deserved a modicum of pity for this sucky situation. “This been brewing for a while between the two of you?” she asked, biting down her words to keep her teeth from chattering.

He snorted in disgust. “Long enough for it to grow old and have grandkids. He’s basically hated me my whole life. One time he threw me down a well, left me there for like a day and a half. Then there was the time he abandoned me in the mountains in the middle of winter on a brotherly ‘hike.’ The last time he tried to kill me he just tried to smother me in my sleep. I think I was like twelve or thirteen by that point. Finally got caught and disowned by my dad after that. And of course he blames me for his own psychotic behavior.”

Humming thoughtfully at that, Hapi said wryly, “Welcome to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, land of shit weather and shittier childhoods. But why’d your older bro keep trying to kill you?”

Woody twisted in his saddle to stare at her in amazement. “You really don’t know?”

“Well, no. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”

“It’s because I had a Crest, and he didn’t,” he replied, his face twisted with a storm of emotions. “So the instant my Lord Dad found out I had one, I became the new Heir, and Miklan was suddenly the second son, even though he was seven years older than me. The best he could hope for then in life was either dying bravely on the Sreng border like a true Knight or maybe marrying a decent looking merchant’s daughter and hope that he could make some little Crest babies of his own. He’s always blamed me for having something…” Woody stared off into the distance, before whispering, “something I don’t even really think I want.”

Hapi clicked her tongue. “Huh. Well, we could let your brother just kill you. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about all that stuff anymore.”

Laughing bitterly, Woody shook his head, scattering droplets from his hair. “I don’t think I’m  _ that _ depressed yet.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Hapi rejoined. Standing up in her stirrups, she peered ahead through the misting rain. “Looks like our scout’s back, anyway. Let’s see what’s up.” They urged their mounts into trots to catch up with the rest of the mounted group, leaving behind Bert and wagon to catch up with them.

Shamir had returned from her recon mission. As Hapi and Woody reined in beside the rest, the Dagdan sniper flicked her violet eyes towards Hapi in an amused challenge.

Hapi pantomimed locking her lips with a key, and tossing it over her shoulder. Her fellow foreigner had approached her before the mission and had told her, in no uncertain terms, that she expected to be called by the name given to her in her homeland. While juggling a wickedly sharp dagger in one hand. Hapi got the message. That was okay. Some people didn’t really need nicknames, and Shamir was a pretty sweet name to begin with.

“There’s some burned out villages up ahead on the road,” Shamir reported to the Professor and Eddy, brushing away a stray purple lock from her face. “No survivors from what I could tell. The crows are so fat they’re waddling. Miklan and his men must be based in that ruin further up ahead. If we can, I’d prefer to avoid the places where his band has been and swing around from the north.” She glanced meaningfully towards the students.

Guiltbert had been scanning the horizon. “So they’ve taken Conand Tower…” Peering past him, Hapi followed the man’s gaze through the forest to a black smudge in the distance that was barely visible through the sheets of rain.

“You appear quite informed of the history of this structure,” Eddy nodded elegantly towards the elderly Knight. “Is there any further information you know that may aid us?”

“I am not certain that it will help,” the Knight rumbled, stinking of rust and age. Hapi wrinkled her nose at him. “But this structure is left over from the aftermath of the War of the Eagle and Lion. Srengi barbarians invaded our Kingdom when it was young, seeking the warmth and comfort of the Valley of Ailell, which they regarded as a paradise. The Tower was built in this inhospitable land to guard against such incursions. In later years, Connad Tower was rebuilt and restored somewhat as a fallback bulwark against the Almyran hordes, but the defenses at Fodlan’s Throat held firm. Thus the castle was allowed to fall into ruin once more, since it is located so far from any seat of governance.”

“And it directly borders the Kingdom and Alliance territories,” nodded Shamir thoughtfully from the ground. “So your Fodlan lords are probably hesitating since they think they lack jurisdiction or don’t want to cause a border incident.”

“Miklan appears to be a gifted leader,” murmured Eddy, somewhat sadly. “It is a pity he has become so destructive and wasteful.”

“Save your pity, princess,” grunted Woody as he dismounted his horse and stretched his legs. “Because I guarantee you he’ll have none. If my brother and his men are holed up in that tower, we’ll have to leave the horses behind. Maybe hide them and hobble them somewhere nearby? Otherwise Miklan will just send some men out to scare away our mounts, wait for nightfall, and then kill us once they’ve worn us down.”

“Guerrilla tactics,” said Shamir appreciatively to the Blue Lion. Wiping away the wet strands of hair from her face, she said, “Gilbert and I can guard the horses and wagon. Although,” she regarded the sky in disgust, “I’m not certain if my bowstrings have remained dry enough in this weather. Sealskin pouches can only do so much.”

“I want you by my side in anycase, Shamir,” said the Professor in her blunt intonation, over Huntress’ pale and shivering face. “Once we’re inside the fort or someplace dry, I’ll help you retune your instrument.” Chatterbox scanned the surrounding sparse clumps of trees around them. “Now we just need to find a dell or a ridgeline to hide our mounts. It might be best to proceed from here on foot. Miklan may not be expecting us, but he will surely be on guard of some form of reprisal because of his crimes. The faster we kill these wet bandits, the sooner we can go home and get warm and dry.”

“I assure you, Professor, that I can keep up with you and your students,” Guiltbert said. He sounded mildly offended at the thought of being left behind.

“You’ll be guarding our gear and our escape route, if needed,” said Chatterbox, as if he were a difficult student. “That’s important. Miklan almost certainly has patrols and sentries posted.”

Guiltbert’s face turned as gloomy as the surrounding weather. “That is...likely to be accurate. I do not wish to acknowledge it since he has turned his back on his homeland and the Goddess, but Miklan was once a noble heir of the Kingdom, and was trained for command.” He sighed. “You are right. He is much more than a mere bandit, and we must proceed as much.”

“How’d he steal this Relic doohickey in the first place?” Hapi asked the group. The question had been bothering her the entire journey. “Does anyone know?”

“Heh. My folks made the mistake of coming to Garreg Mach for the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth,” Woody explained. “My brother must’ve been watching the castle for days, waiting to make his move. It’s probably just as well. If my parents had been home when Miklan attacked…” the young man trailed off.

With gentle ease, Chatterbox assisted Huntress to the churning muck on the ground, then dismounted herself. The Bert and the rest of the gang had finally caught up, and Spar and Linny were helping the quaking Bernski down from her perch on the wagon. The Professor nodded once to Eddy, then turned to the entire class. 

“Black Eagles! Let’s gear up and head out,” she shouted, her breath misting in the cold air. “From here on out, we’re in the hot zone.”

* * *

It took them another couple of hours to find a decently sheltered site that still had enough rough patches of grass and vegetation for the horses to graze, with a washed out gully nearby that was full of water. Hapi felt bad as she hobbled Nibbles, wishing she could use her mount on more missions, but even though he was trained well enough to do okay in dark, confined spaces from their time together in the Abyss, she didn’t want him to break a leg or a hoof climbing wet stone stairs in a ruined castle. Guiltbert and his squad of Church soldiers busied themselves in making a small but secure campsite and an established perimeter.

The Black Eagles, plus Shamir and Woody, made their way north through the woods, the rain masking their passage through the undergrowth, while the black smudge against the dark sky slowly resolved into the shape of a wide and tall conical tower in the quickly fading light of the afternoon. Despite missing gaps of stone in its battlements and parapets displaying its age, the fortress was still in surprisingly decent shape, with wooden logs and planks buttressing the missing stones. A thin stream of smoke vented from the top of the tower, with faint lights seen within. Chatterbox held up her fist at the treeline, and the class huddled around in cover to observe the structure.

Hapi was close enough to Chatterbox and Shamir to overhear them talking. Over the older women’s heads, she could see Eddy and Bert hunched nearby, straining to listen too. 

“...we’ll need to rely on the mages and archers…”

“...they seem to be settling in for the evening. Good time to hit ‘em.”

“...probably have had time to set traps..."

“...and it’ll be dark inside. We should expect ambushes from hidden archers. It’s what I would do.”

“...I’ll lead with the Sword. We need to make them afraid of us from the start.”

“...and I’ll be at the rear. Don’t worry about us, Professor. I’ll take care of your ducklings.”

Hapi smiled at the imagery. “Quack quack,” she whispered to herself.

The two mercenaries stood and regarded the students’ expectant faces. “Let’s divide into smaller squads of four. Edelgard and I will group up with Ferdinand and Hapi. Hubert and Bernadetta, with Petra and Dorothea. Finally, Sylvain, you’re with Caspar, Linhardt, and Shamir.”

“All right,” chuckled Woody, hefting his lance to his pauldron. “At least I’ve got one lovely lady in my group…and she’s already shot me through the heart with the arrow of...”

“Another word out of your hole and I’ll cut off your dick and use it as fishing bait,” Shamir said in a deadly voice, unlimbering her bow from her leather back sheath. There was a click as Woody snapped his noble gab shut while the rest of the class snickered at him. Chatterbox quickly assisted the archer with restringing her weapon, her arms bulging under her jacket as she bent the bow with Shamir efficiently setting a new drawstring. Easing up from the bow, Chatterbox stepped clear while Shamir inspected the weapon carefully, giving it several short draws before testing its full extension.

“Professor,” stated Bert, his wet black hair framing his pale face like rat tails. “You must know that I dislike being away from Lady Edelgard’s side.”

“True,” Chatterbox nodded, unsheathing her Relic. “But you’re also the oldest student here, and trained for command.” Hapi knew she was technically older than Bert, but since she definitely wasn’t trained for command, she wasn’t going to make a big deal about it. “I’m counting on you to watch over your classmates who look to you for leadership.” The Bert was clearly unhappy, his own face set in a stormy frown, but he moved without further complaint next to Bernski and the other girls.

Padding over carefully with Fernado to Eddy and Chatterbox, Hapi pulled off her riding gloves and flexed her fingers, extending her elbows. “Any special orders, boss?” she whispered, stuffing her gloves into a pouch pocket..

Chatterbox’s deep blue eyes sized her students each in turn. “Everyone comes home alive. Got it? We can retreat, but they can’t. If you need to, fall back for healing if necessary.” The Professor turned to Fernado. “Ferdinand, you haven’t fought alongside Hapi, but her magic is almost exactly like Hubert’s. If you see an enemy hobbled or disabled by her magic, take the kill.” Fernado nodded grimly, quiet and focused for once as the Prof turned back to Hapi. “Do you know any healing magic?”

Grimacing, Hapi said, “I know...the absolute basics. Can stop bleeding, but not much else.”

“Focus on yourself and Ferdinand first, Hapi,” Eddy told her. She shared a look with Chatterbox. “The Professor and I have our own means of healing in battle. We should be fine.”

Chatterbox smiled slightly at the princess’ confidence. “Should.” She rose and her students followed, with Fernado and Eddy on her flanks, with Hapi slightly behind them. They faced the tower, her red bone sword already shining like a lighthouse beacon and bathing them in demonic glow. Pointing her sword at the dark grim monolith of Connad Tower, Chatterbox said, “Let’s go light up some bandits.”

Hapi mentally groaned. Her Professor was the worst.

* * *

Her Professor was the fucking best.

The Black Eagles had evaded the trip wires and portcullis traps, and the two half-drunken bandits on sentry duty were taken out nearly simultaneously by Huntress and Shamir, arrows whistling into their chests, robbing them of the air to clearly call out for help. Chatterbox led their group in first, pausing only to slash the throats of the dying men as they writhed on the ground.

Inside, they came to an intersecting hallway. Chatterbox made quick motions with her hand, and Hubert and Shamir took their squads to the left and right to check the other rooms and hallways. As their group slowly inched forward to the half-ruined, iron shod door in front of them, they could hear the raucous laughter of men, a discordant buzz of raised voices, and women’s screams.

Chatterbox’s face went blank when they heard the sounds, but both Eddy and Fernado’s faces twisted in rage. Hapi considered a moment, then reached out and touched Eddy’s elbow, giving her a single nod when the princess looked back at her in surprise.

“No prisoners,” whispered Hapi grimly, her hands already aflame with Dark Anima.

“My thoughts exactly,” the princess nodded dangerously, brandishing her axe outside the massive, rotting doors that marked the entrance to the great hall of the old fort.

Chatterbox nodded back to each of them, then accelerated towards the doors, kicking them open.

The bandit orgy was in such full swing that many of the drunken, motley crew barely noted their entrance. Gang members and ex-mercenaries in rusty patchwork armor were drinking, feasting, or waiting their turns for a pair of struggling girls in a darkened corner of the stone hall, lit only by a few torches in sconces and a burning fireplace. A few bleary eyed bandits eventually turned and saw them, raising their voices in alarm and fumbling for weapons. 

In a single, sweeping motion, Chatterbox extended the Sword of the Creator with a flip of her wrist.

No matter how many times Hapi saw it, it always filled her with a mixture of awe and dread. The glowing red chain links whistled through the air, passing through metal and bone with equal ease, with blood fountaining from severed limbs and body parts as men simply fell apart where they had been standing moments before. Another flick, and the Sword retracted itself of its own volition, snapping back into its old familiar shape in the Professor’s grip. Eddy and Fernado were already rushing past the Professor, axe and lance raised to sever or stab any stragglers who managed to survive the initial assault.

Peering past Chatterbox’s shoulder, Hapi instantly noted some figures in the grand entry hall had managed to not act like total idiots. One man instantly retreated, racing up some stairs on the far side of the room, but another two were lunging for their discarded bows on the floor, trying to nock arrows and drawing their sights on her classmates.

Raising her hands and whispering under her breath, Hapi summoned the glyph for Death Γ and pointed at them.

Subliminal shadows sped across the room from her fingertips, crawling up the archers’ bodies even as their bows and arrows fell from suddenly nerveless fingers, their faces contorting in horror.

Hapi snapped her fingers in both hands, and their hearts ceased to beat in their chests. They crumpled to the floor soundlessly.

By this point, Chatterbox had entered the battle fully, and a few slashes and thrusts later, it was simply a matter of mopping up. The Fernado quickly and efficiently moved among the bodies, stabbing hearts or throats to ensure no lingering suffering, but one of the rapist bastards in the corner managed to stand away from his prize long enough to bring a dagger to bear. Snarling obscenities, he tried to attack Eddy sans pants, which would have been comical if the scene were less horrifying.

Eddy’s gorge was clearly up. Contemptuously disarming the man with a flex of her muscled wrist, she brought him down to the floor with the butt of her axe. “You disgust me,” she growled as she stood over him, her pale face twisted into hatred, her lilac eyes burning with eternal rage. “There is no excuse for your actions, and nothing can ease the suffering you have caused, but perhaps...you may learn a lesson in pain before you die…” With a savage swing of her axeblade, she mutilated his genitals, causing a loud shriek of pain to echo through the room.

“Edelgard…” said the Fernado, hesitantly approaching her.

Hapi was already brushing past him as Eddy stood over her howling victim, her breathing ragged. “Eddy...c’mon. You can be better than this.” Chatterbox stood aside, observing her students with her dripping sword, her face impassive.

“And why should I be?” Eddy cried out to Hapi as she whirled on her, ignoring the dying man’s blubbering wails beneath their feet. “You saw what they have done to those poor women!” she shouted, pointed to the poor abused souls in the corner, cowering in their nakedness. “Fiends like this are nothing but dirt! They are lower than dirt! Dirt, at least, may be used to provide nutrients for the soil and make things grow! But vermin like this,” she hissed down at the pitiful wretch, who was vainly trying to stem the flow of blood between his legs, his face wet and greasy, “give nothing in return! They only live to cause pain and misery, and if I must be the only one with the moral clarity to excise them from existence, then I will do it!”

“Then do it,” stated Hapi, grabbing the princess by the arms to make her friend focus on her. “Kill him clean, Eddy. You’re not a torturer. Right?” She squeezed Eddy’s wrists hard, trying to apply pressure through her friend’s armor.

The wild look in Eddy’s eyes slowly faded, and her ragged breathing slowed. “I…I am...” she swallowed, then carefully disengaged herself from Hapi. “You are right. I am sorry.”

The dying man beneath their feet hallowly laughed, even as his lifeblood flowed through his fingers. “You stupid cunts...your fucking morals are nothing but spit on shit,” he said in a gasping whisper. Eddy frowned down at him, then raised her bloody axe over his pale face, ready for the final blow. He spat at her in his final defiance before death. “I’ll see you in hell, bitch.”

“Yeah,” Eddy muttered darkly to herself. She let her razor bladed axe head fall. The man’s head tumbled free from the twitching corpse.

The rest of the Black Eagles filtered into the room. “The anterooms are clear of foes, Professor…” reported Bert, before cutting himself off, sensing the odd energy in the air.

“Good work, Hubert,” said Chatterbox, taking command once more, brushing past Eddy and Hapi. “Can someone find some clothing for these girls we’ve rescued?”

Doris and Bernski ran forward immediately to assist, and Hapi stood by with Eddy, trying to help calm her down after her outburst. With a sigh, Linny followed the girls, although his face was turning as green as his hair from the carnage in the room. The Fernado gave Eddy one last look of disappointment before taking up a guard position near the stairs as the rest secured the room. Shamir directed Woody and Spar to guard positions back to the outside in case a returning patrol of bandits attacked their rear.

Watching the proceedings while trying to ignore the battlefield stink that was slowly filling the room, Hapi watched Eddy carefully as the younger girl tried to vainly clean her axehead on the corpse of the man she had killed. The princess kept glancing back at her, as if ashamed of her actions, her movements stiff and mechanical.

Finally, she broke under the tension. “I am sorry you witnessed that. If you think less of me…” Eddy began, hanging her head.

“I don’t,” said Hapi instantly. “I won’t. Trust me. You’re only human, Eddy. It’s okay to admit you fucked up. Or feel fucked up.”

“I…” Eddy trailed off, watching Doris take command of the two survivors, cajoling their names out of them and directing Bernski to fetch clean water for them. Swallowing, Eddy tried again. “I don’t like seeing people suffer.”

Hapi bit down on her lip from pointing out the obvious contradiction laying at their feet. This wasn’t the time or place to have a noble debate about this stuff, anyway, but even so...she reached out and grabbed Eddy’s left hand. The white gloves were red and sticky, but Hapi didn’t care. Taking a deep breath, she said, “When I was kidnapped...for years, I was forced to do things I didn’t wanna do. Forced to become something I didn’t want to be.”

Eddy remained motionless, staring down on the bloody ground, her fingers limp and passive.

Pursing her lips, Hapi plunged ahead. “Only one person I knew the entire time I was there was really nice to me. Actually stood up for me. And when I was locked up for the night, alone in my room, trying to figure things out on my own...sorry. This is dumb. You’ll probably laugh.”

“I will not,” Eddy whispered back, although she kept averting her face. “I swear it.”

Hapi squeezed Eddy’s blood stained hand in appreciation. “One day I realized...I was still me. That no matter what they did to my body, or the sick mindgames they tried to play with me...I was still me on the inside. They couldn't touch that, as long as I guarded that last inch. Kept it safe. You understand?”

“Yes,” Eddy said, finally raising her head to meet her eyes with a shy smile. “I do. Thank you, my friend, for reminding me that I can make my own choices, free from the chains of my past.” While holding Hapi’s hand, she touched a dagger with an intricate blue hilt that was hooked on her belt. “This dagger...it was the first weapon anyone had ever given me. But to me, it represented freedom, when times were...dark. Upon receiving it, I was told that I could always cut my own path to the future.”

“Nice,” smiled Hapi appreciatively. “The neat lady I knew said something similar to me. She told me the past was like a book; you could read it and learn from it, but you always had to turn the page. And write something new. Thanks to her, I started paying enough attention to my surroundings and keeping my eyes and ears open. Because of her, I escaped from Fhirdiad. She gave me hope for the future. I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.”

“Sometimes, that’s the only thing we can cling to,” said Eddy solemnly to her. Then she tilted her head in curiosity. “This woman you mention...was she an associate of Cornelia?”

“I dunno,” Hapi shrugged in honest confusion. “I got the sense they weren’t best buds, because they kinda yelled at each other a whole lot. But even then, she’d come over and visit her and they’d always have tea or dinner together. It was weird, but I didn’t want Patty to stop coming over and seeing me, so I never asked her about it.”

“Patty?” Eddy raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry. Her name was Patricia. She always wore black, but they were fancy black dress clothes. Sometimes I called her Black Pat,” said Hapi with a fond giggle. “I think she must have been a noble or something, but again, not so sure. You sorta remind me of her.”

Eddy was searching her face, and Hapi took her own opportunity to admire the view in front of her. She was always so composed and serious, it was easy to forget how painfully young Eddy really was. How terribly uncertain she really felt, or the little things she did or said that brought to mind someone always seeking approval. The quick glances, the searching looks, the cautious teasing, the probing questions. But it made sense for a fellow survivor, Hapi acknowledged, to look for a way to force this crazy, fucked up continent full of crazy, fucked up people to make sense again.

Hapi had long ago come to terms with the randomness of life, from looking at the stars and reading her astronomy books. The mind couldn’t always hold up when considering such constant absurdities. Here she was, on a massive spinning ball, holding hands with a pale silver haired girl as they spun around the sun, moving so fast that it was probably incalculable. The sun was just another star they happened to be spinning close enough to that it made the land warm up and made things grow. They had just killed a bunch of people they didn’t really know and the corpses on the floor were starting to smell like shit, and at this moment, they were taking a breather before their next fight to talk about mushy stuff. Life was strange like that.

Then Eddy smiled up at her, a broad, girlish, joyous grin and Hapi swore she could almost start to feel herself rotating with the planet, spinning around on an invisible axis.

“I think I now know why you give people nicknames,” said Eddy, the sincerity on her face shining brighter than any sunny day. “That was your own method of coping, wasn’t it?”

Hapi hadn’t really thought of it that way. The names were always her own private little jokes, something secret about herself that nobody else would ever get. Now Eddy, with her royal perception, had even sussed that out about her too. Hapi was searching for a clever response when Spar gave a yell of alarm from the entryway.

“Hey, gang! We’ve got company!” shouted Woody, bringing his lance up and ready and bracing himself. Next to him Spar raised his bloody battle gauntlets and roared an insane, feral scream of rage, as more wet bandits came running into the citadel, their rusty swords out as they leaned into a charge at the Blue Lion and Black Eagle.

The two village girls, their pale faces bruised and swollen, screamed in fear and cowered back into their corner. Linny did his best for his two patients, attempting to calm them and keep them out of the fighting. Doris left the group to come running into position, jumping on a nearby long table for a better line of sight to cast her thunder spells, her hands glowing with sparking energy and her beautiful face a mask of rage. Huntress and Shamir likewise moved to the far sides of the room, their bows already drawn and nocked. Chatterbox and Fernado, backed up by Bernski, stood by the stairs on the other side of the entry hall, sword and lance ready to discourage a pincer attack. From the clangs and raised voices echoing in the dark stone stairwell, that was exactly what Miklan’s bandit gang was trying.

Dropping her hand, Eddy gripped her axe haft with both stained gloves, the red-smeared edge leading as she rushed into the fray. Hapi moved next to Bert, her dark hands up and ready to fling Miasmas and Swarm Zetas. He gave her a quick nod of approval.

“On my mark,” he whispered to her, gesturing up the appropriate runes and magical circles with a wave of his arms. “Lady Edelgard and the others are counting upon us.”

“Yup,” muttered Hapi in agreement. “Not gonna let her down.” Not after all she’s done for me, she silently vowed inside herself. 

Not after she’s made Hapi feel like this.

* * *

The second fight on the first floor of the tower was quick, brutal, and never in doubt.

There were a few hedge mages among the bandit ranks, but their Fireballs and Nosferatus were rather weak and pitiful. They barely tickled Hapi. Even Spar and Huntress could grimace through them, and they weren’t exactly known for being especially magic resistant. The bush wizards were helpless against advanced Dark Magic, and she and Bert wasted no time in cutting them down. 

The archers were a different matter, and much more dangerous. After the battle, Linny and Doris were soon put to work healing everyone who had caught an arrow. Woody was fine save a few scrapes, thanks to his high quality noble cavalier armor, but some of the Eagles had been grazed or stuck by the halfway competent bowmen. Hapi figured they must have been poachers to have decent aim, but luckily their arrows were poorly made and their rough arrowheads were made out of poorly cast iron or rough chipped stones. The most serious injury was one that Spar managed to catch with his chest; Linny was currently busy healing the wound, along with its attendant broken ribs.

The two village girls were almost as terrified of their rescuers than their dead captors, their frightened, almost witless faces unable to process their new freedom after suffering through such an endless nightmare. Chatterbox and Shamir collected the money from the corpses on the floor to give to them in a rough sack, and gently offered the two women a choice; they could find Guiltbert and the rest of the knights in the forest, if they wished, or they could hide in some dark room until the Black Eagles could come back and keep them safe. Doris offered to stay behind and guard them, but Chatterbox said they needed to press on while they could and finish things with Miklan. In the end, the battered women elected to hide themselves away until they could be escorted away from the Tower.

After that, the Eagles squaded up once more, with Chatterbox in the lead and Shamir bringing up the rear. They encountered no further resistance as they moved slowly up the winding staircase, occasionally stumbling in the dimness that was only illuminated by a few torches and the red glow of Chatterbox’s Sword. 

As they rounded another turn of the stairwell, Chatterbox peered up at the narrow, rough hewn steps they needed to ascend. She sighed. “I hate stairs,” she muttered to herself.

Hapi was close enough to overhear. “Um. Why? Seems like a weird thing to hate.”

Chatterbox turned her solemn blue gaze to her. “They’re always up to something.” Then she winked her right eye, with her face still expressionless.

Inhaling sharply, Hapi bit her lip before the sigh could escape. “Fucking hell. Walked into that one. Touche, Chatterbox.”

“Good. You’re improving,” Chatterbox nodded, then moved ahead. Eddy giggled softly behind her.

“Yeah yeah,” muttered Hapi with a scowl. “Laugh it up.”

They kept climbing.

* * *

“Ambush! Hubert! Hapi! Archers to your nine o’clock!” Chatterbox shouted, even as she engaged with an axeman.

Grunting with effort, Hapi managed to dive behind a broken pillar for cover with the arrows bouncing and skidding off the floor all around her. Her back itched insanely, like a sharp arrowhead was about to bury itself into a kidney or a lung at any second. A burst of magic, ill aimed, exploded off the edge of the stone balcony where the bandit archers had managed to conceal themselves. Bert had managed to buy them time, but until they could pick off those assholes aiming above them, they were all in danger

Shamir and Bernski were laying down cover volleys, while Huntress raced ahead, dragging Doris and Linny back further into the shadows of the grand chamber they were in. Such a large open area for the top of a castle really did not make sense, but then Hapi noticed the openings in the roof, where streams of rainwater were pouring into the musty chamber. This part of the structure must have been an old wyvern or pegasi stable, allowing the defenders of the Tower to utilize their aerial forces to maximum effect.

Shaking her head to get her terror-addled mind to focus, Hapi leaned above her cover slightly, hoping that another Death Γ would do the trick on the snipers…

She saw it coming, even as she almost completed her spell in time. A dark haired young man saw her casting, and had her dead in his sights. Even as time seemed to slow down to the point where she could pick out every absurd detail...he looked to be a little older than her, mid twenties, and his clothes were permanently stained, and his bow he was using was a recurve bow, not a self bow...the arrow appeared to move in a stately, parabolic arc straight towards her to land into her chest, before she could even think of dodging away. It felt like a punch from B, and then her right lung tightened and swelled, even she stumbled backwards onto her ass. She tasted blood in her mouth, and then she felt it flood her airway; but she couldn’t cough, and she was drowning in her own fluids...

“Hapi!” shouted Eddy from her own cover. Then the princess was running to her in her red armor, her axe abandoned behind her.

Slumping down to the cold stones, Hapi bemusedly fingered the arrow shaft sticking out of her chest like some morbid medal of honor. Breathing with several inches of metal and wood inside you was not fun. Did she say breathe? More like tiny, hitching gasps that were not giving her nearly enough air to stave off impending unconsciousness.

Eddy skidded next to her, her armor clanking as she tugged at the arrow, causing Hapi to whine in pain. “Hapi, I’m so sorry...this will hurt…” grunted the Imperial Princess as she gripped the shaft. “I’ll pull it out on one...two…”

An arrow whistled, and buried itself into Eddy’s temple. The lilac eyes went confused, then blank, then rolled back up inside her head as Eddy fell limp and hard against her, her armored corpse driving the arrowhead puncturing her lung deeper.

It had happened so fast. Too fast. Hapi weakly raised her head in confusion, an arm brushing against the projectile embedded in Eddy’s skull, wishing desperately she could banish Death away. She couldn’t sigh. She couldn’t breathe. All Eddy had done was come die next to her, some cursed piece of Abyssian filth. She was going to die, but she wished Eddy could still be alive...she had never meant for both of them to be together forever like this…

A blur. Every instant seemed as long as a lifeage of the World.

Hapi blinked her red eyes open again, disoriented. What the fuck just happened?

Eddy skidded next to her, her armor clanking as she tugged at the shaft, causing Hapi to…

...to grip the Princess’ breastplate collar with rigid, numb fingers, dragging her face next to hers, the arrow in her chest be damned.

“Hapi! What--?” demanded Eddy, but then she flinched when the arrow hissed through the air above them, where her silver head had been mere moments before.

Their faces were close enough for them to kiss, but Hapi could only manage a bubbling whisper past the red froth on her lips. “Don’t...die...for me...”

“There will be no talk of dying,” Eddy reprimanded her, fear and concern making the words harsh. A red flash and several screams came from above them, the Professor turning around in the nick of time and destroying the balcony above them with her Relic. Stone and dust flew through the chamber from the Relic’s full explosive power, and Eddy covered Hapi with her own armored body, doing her best to not exacerbate the mage’s wound.

Eddy raised her head. “Linhardt!” she shouted. “Over here!” With her impossible strength, the princess flipped Hapi to her wounded side, the pressure on her wound increasing to an unbearable level, but she felt herself inhale a little easier with gravity draining her blood away from her trachea.

A tall, long haired figure emerged from the dust, but the hair on their head was a rich brown, not green. “Sorry, Edie. Lin’s helping heal Hubie and Shamir right now. Ferdie and the Professor are still fighting, along with the others. How can I help?”

“Arrow,” said Eddy tersely, reaching for the dagger on her belt. “We need to cut it out.” Hapi spit blood from her mouth onto the dirty stone floor, unable to do much else.

Doris and Eddy’s voices drifted in and out of Hapi’s consciousness, and her vision swam in blurry colors. She felt Eddy’s strong thighs straddling her body, along with softer grip of Doris as they moved her body in odd positions. Then came a searing lance of fire, plunging into her chest, seeking her soul.  _ They’re killing me! _ her mind screamed out in raw, animal panic, beginning to thrash against the chains holding her down. Something was inside her, scaping her insides with tiny, viscous teeth, making her heart throb and race.  _ I’m being eaten! Stop it! STOP! _

Abruptly, the pressure lessened and something drew away from inside her body. Soon, soft soothing light intruded upon her awareness, along with the invigorating sensation of being able to breathe once without pain. Doris was leaning over her, gentle white light knitting the tissue over Hapi’s chest, with Eddy’s concerned face nearby, hovering over the songstress’ shoulder. 

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” muttered Hapi on her back. Feeling her lung inflate again was an experience, to say the least. 

“Thank goodness,” said Eddy, touching Hapi’s face tenderly. 

“Oh, you’re very welcome, Edie!” sang Doris brightly, standing up and fastidiously brushing the dirt off her knees. “They’re still fighting Miklan’s thugs up ahead, so I’ll go check on the rest of the crew.” After adjusting her cap, the diva sprinted ahead, racing to catch up with the rest of the group.

Eddy’s eyes drifted to the arrow that was embedded nearby in a wooden support beam. “Even while terribly injured, you saved my life.” The princess smiled down at her, her lower lip larger than her upper, and a bit red as well, Hapi noticed. How’d that happen? “Please take more care in the future, Hapi. I will see if it is possible for some light leather or fine chain armor to be made for you.”

“Sounds good,” grunted Hapi as she stood on wobbly legs. Magical healing was great and all for restoring wounds and injuries, but blood loss was blood loss, and a lot of her own was currently on the floor. Hapi unscrewed her canteen to drink some water while Eddy retrieved her weapon. After drinking her fill, she brushed at her chest, noting sourly that this top was totally ruined and she was somewhat exposed to the world. “Um, I guess I don’t really need one now, but do you have a bandage or something? Rather not hear Woody joke about my boobs.”

Flushing slightly, Eddy had already produced a metal fastener, handing it to her. Her violet eyes were firmly fixed to the floor. “I am sorry, but this is all that I have. I had to cut away at your clothing to fully extract the arrow…” 

A roaring boom distracted them, followed by yelling voices. Hapi snapped the shreds of her ruined clothing together with the pin and followed Eddy as they ran to the sounds.

After a twisting, serpentine path through the cavernous tower, stepping over bandit bodies along the way, the came upon the rest of the Eagles, led by the Professor and Shamir, as they engaged with the last reserves of Miklan’s forces; a brute squad of armored men in full plate, wielding tower shields and large heavy axes. Doris’ lightning burst had already taken out a number of them, with others on the ground, foul smelling black secretions covering their bodies from Bert’s magic.

Spar brightened when he saw the two of them, a large axe in his hands as he blocked and parried a much taller and stronger foe. “Hey guys! Glad you could make it to the party!” His commentary distracted him, allowing the plate mail wearing bandit to nearly decapitate him with a vicious backswing. Spar jumped backwards with a yelp, his own axe clattering to the ground as he stumbled.

Summoning a quick Miasma, Hapi stepped forward and flung the blob of magical acid directly at the man’s chestplate, the magic seeping in past every joint and crevice. Soon the bandit was shrieking in agony as the toxic Dark Anima turned his body into jelly, unable to escape from the corrosive forces liquefying him. The shrieks turned into whimpering gasps, then silence as the armored body toppled to the ground, thick red and black ooze puddling beneath it. Spar clambered to his feet away from the body, his face pale.

Eddy was more direct in her fighting, but she was strong enough to prove it, and her axe better made than the bandits’ own weapons. Hapi could only shake her head as bandit after bandit rushed the short princess, only for her to show them that she could cleave right through them, armor and all. And the Professor’s Sword could seemingly cut through anything, whether it was metal, stone, or flesh, a deadly red glow humming through the air. Despite their superior numbers, the rout was soon on, with Chatterbox directing the melee fighters and archers to step aside, allowing Hapi, Doris, and Bert clear lines of sight to work on finishing off their vulnerable foes. Hapi was even surprised to see Woody manage to conjure a decent enough fireball, flinging it at a man trying to flee the victorious Eagles. The fire struck him in the back, the superheated metal quickly cooking the poor bastard alive in his shell.

“Any sign of Miklan?” Eddy asked, the only sign of her fatigue a light sheen on her high brow and some of her purple hair ties undone, letting more of her silversheen hair fall free.

“Nobody here has the Lance,” grimaced Woody, a deep expression of distaste on his face, poking at the bodies with his own weapon. He sighed and looked around. “He must be just up ahead. I recognize some of these losers. They were buddies of his while I was growing up, from my dad’s Knights. He must’ve convinced them to come over to his side once he had the Relic.”

Her face turning pensive, even while she leaned on her dripping axe, Eddy murmured, “Your brother was only treated this way due to his lack of a Crest. If someone had appreciated him on his own merits...or simply for himself...none of us would be in this horrible situation.”

“Save the excuses,” Shamir told the princess bluntly. “Miklan was a noble. He knew exactly what he was doing. He understood the consequences for his actions. Yet he did them all the same.”

“Everyone okay?” said Chatterbox, inspecting her students, looking closely at a cut on Fernado’s arm that he proudly laughed off. She motioned for Linny to take a look at it anyway. Turning, she asked the two of them, “Edelgard, Hapi. Are you feeling better?”

Eddy’s delicate face scrunched up into a frown. “I am well, Professor. Hapi was nearly fatally wounded, but Dorothea managed to heal her in time.”

The Professor appeared distracted, her blue eyes confused. “...good, good. That’s...that’s a good thing. I’m glad things worked out the way they did.” Now Hapi frowned as well. Chatterbox was acting weird. Well. Weirder than normal. Like she was trying to have two conversations at once.

“I think we’re through the worst of it,” Chatterbox continued. “No more surprise ambushes should be ahead. Just Miklan.”

“I should be the one to bring him down,” said Woody, his face set in determined lines. “This has been a long time coming, Prof. You have to give me the first shot.”

Chatterbox tilted her head at the Blue Lion. “You are under my command, Sylvain. You’ll follow my orders, whether you like them or not.”

Woody’s face twisted in anger, then in anguish. He desperately tried again. “Look, I understand that. But I have to prove it to myself. I have to show him I’m no longer afraid of him. I’m not fucking thirteen any more, so I can defend myself. Even if he does have the Lance of Ruin, he doesn’t have the Crest or the training to use it. I can beat him. I know I can.”

Chatterbox was silent in consideration, then turned to the rest of the Eagles.

Eddy and Bert understood at once. “Twelve against one is decidedly unfair, Professor,” nodded Bert, folding his hands behind him. “Then again, in war, fairness is a child’s fantasy. It may be more amusing for Bernadetta, Petra, and Knight Shamir to simply turn the man into a pincushion and be done with it.”

“But that wouldn’t settle the issue for you, would it Sylvain?” asked Eddy, appearing oddly sympathetic. “This is about whether you can stand up to your brother, and whether you can prove to yourself...that you are not like him.”

“Leave me out of this noble honor crap. He’s too emotional. He’s going to get himself killed,” interjected Shamir, busy collecting arrows from the fallen.

“Emotional? I’m not emotional! This is my fratricide face,” Woody laughed, pointing to his jovial smile. “Besides, who said I was going to fight him? Or even duel him? All I said was that I wanted the first shot.” Woody’s grin turned absolutely sinister as the other Eagles stared at him in confusion.

Hapi figured it out. “He hasn’t seen you in the past seven years...and he doesn’t know that you know how to cast Black Anima.” She shook her head. “Damn. That’s cold, Woody.”

“Oh no,” he laughed again, giving her an appreciative wink. “I don’t think it’s going to be  _ cold _ .”

* * *

Miklan was a real piece of work.

Hapi instantly saw why Woody wanted to face his brother down. If it wasn't for the scar across his nose, or the way the older man’s face was twisted into a constant expression of rage and resentment, he and Woody could have been mistaken for twins. The Relic they had been sent by the Church to retrieve shimmered in the man’s grip, glowing the same lurid red light as the Professor’s bone sword.

Upon seeing the Black Eagles and Woody at their head, the man gave a hollow laugh from the elaborate stone runic circle he stood upon. “So, my little bro is all grown up! Nice seeing you, Sylvain!” he chuckled bitterly, before his expression twisted in dark anger. “Why are you here, you fucking Cresthead?! You want to ruin this for me too?”

Woody glared at his brother. “I’m not ruining anything, Miklan. In fact, I’d say you’re doing a nice job of ruining your own life by yourself! If you had been a little bit nicer, you could’ve stayed in the castle with us. Maybe even have gotten your own command, your own marriage. But being a bastard and running around killing and raping people was just too damn fun, wasn’t it?”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Miklan screamed, his eyes wild and bloodshot. “You had no fucking clue what it was like, after Dad treated me like fucking garbage the instant he found out you had a Crest and I didn’t!” His voice dropped to a menacing, vengeful whisper. “Dad and Mom read to me every night, Sylvain. Every night. And when they had you, and found out about your fucking Crest...I was never read a story again. They even forgot my birthday! I was shunted aside, and told I was worthless to the family! But now,” he proudly brandished the Lance of Ruin, “I have the power!”

“And you know what Dad told us,” Sylvain urged. Despite his words earlier, his face was twisted up in regret and pain. “It isn’t safe for you! You’re going to die, Miklan! You can’t wield it safely!”

“Lies,” his brother snarled back. He shook his head now more in pity than anger. “It’s all fucking lies, Sylvain. I’ve had the Lance for months now, and nothing fucking bad has happened. It was all bullshit from the beginning. But now--I see you’ve got some brat fucking noble children to come help you fight your battles.” He looked around the group confronting him, then sneered widely at Huntress and Hapi. “Even some foreign dark-skinned bitches! What a fucking joke!” His gaze finally settled on Professor Chatterbox, and the Sword she bore. “And who’s this stupid cunt who’s dressed like an Enbarr whore?” The Ashen Demon gazed back at Miklan impassively, her stance relaxed, own glowing red Sword a counterpoint to his own weapon.

“She’s the Ashen Demon. And I’m her friend, Shamir. And by the way,” Shamir said flatly, drawing a bead on the bandit leader. “You’re dead.” Her black fletched arrow hissed through the air.

Regardless of his merits--or lack thereof--Miklan’s reflexes were good. He instantly ducked behind his tower shield, the thick treated oak and steel easily blocking the Dagdan’s volley. “Nice try, you pale foreign bitch. But I’m on this old ward, kept here to provide a last line of defense if invaders managed to ever make inside this old castle.” He chuckled darkly, twirling the Lance of Ruin lightly in his right hand. “I’ve still got my old silver armor, a good shield, and a Relic. As long as I stand here, none of you kids can touch me.”

“That’s not actually much of a plan,” Linny pointed out. “We could just wait for you to die of fatigue or hunger, and simply see you collapse after watching you in shifts. But the Professor wants us back at the Academy next week, so Sylvain, if you will do the honors…” he ended his explanation with a yawn and a lazy wave of his hand.

Woody grinned at his confused brother, dropping his own lance to the ground with a clatter. “So it’s been a while since we’ve last seen each other, Mikey. You might have the family Relic, but I’ve got something a whole lot better.” The cavalier’s hands erupted into flame, the floating sparks and embers illuminating Woody’s grim smile and countenance. “Guess who took some classes at the Fhirdiad School of Sorcery?”

Miklan’s face fell. “Fuck,” he grunted, raising his weapon and shield. “That’s so fucking unfair…”

He put up a good fight. Hapi was honestly impressed. She could see how Eddy thought Miklan’s death was a waste. And all of this really was wasteful...right down to the stupid Tower that had been built as a bulwark for an attack or an invasion that had never come, until it had just become another random bandit hideout for some random quest. Hapi briefly had a fleeting sense of deja vu, along with a rare sense of transcendental sense of self-consciousness, self-awareness. Probably caused by her recent near-death experience. Ignoring Woody’s fireballs and his brother’s increasingly desperate parries with the Relic, she watched everyone else for a moment. Huntress and Shamir were impassive, but the Dagdan carried it better...for how well composed and regal she was, it was so easy to forget that the Brigid Princess was so young. Bert and Eddy’s countenances were stony too, along with Chatterbox. No surprise there. Spar looked ready to cheer, the flames of the family tragedy before him just fueling his enthusiasm, while Linny just looked bored, idly glancing back at Hapi in turn and shrugging helplessly.

Doris, Bernski, and the Fernado were more forthright and honest with their emotions, writ plain on their faces. The actress tried her best to act cold and impassive, but she was too much of a feeler...her green eyes were deep pools of sadness as she stood witness to the operatic tragedy in front of her. Bernski looked like she wished she could be anywhere else, cuddled behind Bert and Doris and only occasionally peeking at the duel with one fearful grey eye. And Fernado had an expression of disgust and dismay on his perfect noble face, the brutish fight between the two noble siblings a definite contradiction of his own high ideals.

Bringing his hands together, Woody finally ended it. With a flourish, a bright red runic circle and glyph was conjured before him, before he finally flung his arms apart as the floor beneath Miklan’s feet erupted into a wide spray of lava. A Bolagonne, Hapi noted clinically, watching while Miklan shrieked in raw panic, finally forced away from the wards beneath him, his greaves and boots covered in red hot rocks that were probably very uncomfortable to touch. 

Somehow, the ex-noble bandit leader kept to his feet, his teeth bared in pain. “Not bad...for spoiled rotten noble brat.” He hefted the Lance in his right hand, the weapon glowing. “You’re going down with me, lil’ Syl. You’ll never wield the Lance.”

“In your dreams, Mikey,” rejoined Woody, his face locked in a similar scowl. Nudging his own lance with his boot, he kicked it up into his hands, giving it a deadly twirl. “Let’s finish this.”

Then things started getting weird.

Miklan raised the Lance of Ruin to attack, but from its Stone...a wave of corrupted, black,  **_wrongness_ ** erupted from the brightly glowing gem. Hapi staggered, feeling a headache building in her skull as her pulse thundered in her ears, clutching her head in agony. Waves of nausea overwhelmed her, and she looked up through tearing eyes that every other Crest-bearer was feeling it too. Doris and Huntress helped the pitifully whining Bernski up from the ground, their own faces frightened and confused, and Spar was holding back Linny’s green hair as the healer heaved his guts out on the cold stone. Shamir ran forward to assist a staggering Woody away from his screaming brother, the black waves from the Lance engulfing the man. Chatterbox and Eddy endured the befouled energy the best, but even the Princess was having to lean hard on Bert, who stared fixedly at the strange magic at play.

The keening wail from Miklan’s throat changed timbre, deepening into a horrid bellow of bestial rage. “Everyone!” shouted a pale and panicked Fernado. “Retreat! Back down the stairs!” Even as he said this, he ran forward to gallantly assist Hapi, who could barely stand from the dark waves of energy, her Crest blood humming in her veins. The Crestless assisted the Crested as the Black Eagles retreated as a group, with the Professor and Shamir guarding the students’ retreat, the archer already launching arrows back at the thing that had engulfed Miklan and the Lance. Chatterbox was mumbling something under her breath, her normally deadpan expression now nervous and worried. 

The roar of pain in her head finally eased, and Hapi turned to see what the hell they were running away from.

A Beast. A Demonic Beast.

It was at least twenty feet tall, probably more. A jagged maw full of teeth and spittle grunted and roared, and the clawed feet and arms looked like they could easily squish them with little effort. A closer examination showed a shimmering, scillintating rainbow-like glimmer off the onyx scales. Shit. That thing was a magical creation, which meant that even Dark Magic would have a tough time chewing through that shield until they could deal some damage to the monster.

Panting and frightened, the Black Eagles attempted to collect themselves at the base of the stairs, Fernado and Spar, along with Eddy and Woody, trying to move themselves to the front in case the howling beast attacked them. Slowly, the Crest bearers were recovering from whatever bad juju the Relic had sent out when it had consumed Miklan.

“Miklan…” whispered Woody in despair. Hapi felt a brief pang of sympathy for the Blue Lion. Even though he had been ready to kill his brother, no one deserved something like this to happen to them.

“Professor. Should we retreat? I doubt the Beast could escape this tower on its own,” Bert said dispassionately. At least someone had a good idea.

Chatterbox still had a dazed and distracted expression on her normally stoic face. “No...if we abandon it, then it may spawn more of its kind. This magic is...ancient. Even I can feel it…” Bert and Eddy appeared highly interested in the Professor’s words, before they were all distracted by the beast screaming to the heavens once more, a peal of thunder from the storm outside illuminating the monstrous profile. “The Relic took over Miklan’s body,” she explained to her students, her mouth set with resolve. “It’s still there inside of him. And as long as it's inside of him--!”

Linny caught on immediately. He was drawn and pale, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, leaning hard against the stone bannister. “She’s right. He’ll be immortal. He’ll be unstoppable after a certain point. The Relic inside of it will only make the monster grow bigger, and stronger. Killing it here and now may be our only chance.”

“Professor. Your orders?” Eddy asked her teacher quietly behind her shoulder. Ahead past her, Hapi could see the brightly glowing red eyes settle on them in the darkness.

“Guys…?” she swallowed. As bad as the Umbral Beast was, this was almost as bad. And they didn’t have Rhea or her battalion of Knights as backup, nor Didi’s awesome strength or Coco’s powerful magic. “It’s looking at us…”

With a mighty roar, the Beast formerly known as Miklan charged the Black Eagles.

“Hapi! With me!” screamed Chatterbox. “Hit and run tactics! Caspar and Petra, distract it! Mages and archers, aim for the eyes and mouth! Don’t be cornered!” The Professor grabbed her bicep in a vise-like grip, almost lifting Hapi up off her feet as the Black Eagles scattered away from the Beast’s maddened charge. 

Whatever other faults Spar had, he was very good at causing things to become distracted. Taking a quick look back, Hapi saw him as screamed out at an impossible volume, a decent enough challenge to the Black Beast’s own roar. The fell visage settled on the teal-haired teenager, a mighty clawed appendage reared back to swipe. When the Beast lunged, stones and dust flew, but Spar scrambled away from the attack, laughing like a madman.

Huntress took the opportunity to attempt to cripple the beast from the rear, attacking with sword and dagger, severing into tendons the size of tree limbs. Shamir and Bernski opened up with their own volleys, arrows sinking into the gaping maw and thrashing tongue of the roaring creature. Doris and Bert launched thunder and fire into the Beast’s broad hide, scorching its flanks, but the magic fizzled before it could do much damage, the magical nature of the aberration thwarting their Anima’s intent.

Chatterbox was tugging at her arm, staring at her intently in the corner they were in. “Hapi. Listen to me. I have a plan, but I need your help. Can you distract it?” her Prof said to her seriously.

“Um. Kinda need my hands to cast a spell, boss…” she muttered, looking worriedly back at the scene. Eddy was rushing the monster, trying to hack into the monster, but her metal, mortal axe simply bounced off the creature’s scales. Even the Princess’ strength was insufficient to breach that shield. “I’ve got a big one, called Hades Omega, but not sure if it will make…”

“No. I’m not talking about magic. I’m talking about your other ability,” said Chatterbox quietly.

Hapi felt her face blanch. “Um. You sure? Kinda don’t wanna die today, Prof.”

Her Professor gripped her hands, her blue eyes flashing with determination. “I won’t let you die. I promise, Hapi. I  _ promise _ . But I think I’m the only one who can really hurt it. I need a clean shot. Will you do it?”

“Professor!”

The cry was a scream of pure panic. Fernado stumbled away from the beast, his lance broken in his hands. Woody was attacking with lance and magic, trying to direct the full fury of the monster towards him, and only him. Huntress had left both of her daggers and sword in the Beast’s rear tendon, hampering its movements somewhat, her purple hair and braids falling free with her frantic movements. Doris and Bert were exhausted. Shamir and Bernski were almost out of arrows. Even Eddy and Spar were flagging, with Linny desperately trying to keep everyone healed with his Physics. 

Hapi clenched her jaw at the scene. Her gang needed her. Her...friend needed her. This was a way she could help out. “Promise?” she whispered.

“I promise,” nodded her Professor, stepping back and away from her. “It won’t touch you. Whenever you're ready.” Chatterbox faded back into the shadows of the room, her brightly glowing Relic sword hidden by her jacket and cape. Leaving Hapi seemingly alone in the corner.

Hapi squared her shoulders, conjuring some Dark Anima in her hands just in case. If she was gonna die…

Fuck it. There were worse things. Keeping her gaze obsessively focused on that Black Beast, Hapi deliberately inhaled.

And exhaled.

The red demonic glare was instantly upon her, even as the massive beast had Woody dead to rights, and could have killed him right then and there. The injured nobleman was hauled out of the way by Doris and Fernado as the beast fully turned to confront Hapi, raising its head in confusion. It peered at her like she would do to an interesting bug. 

“That’s right,” bit off Hapi. “Look over here, motherfucker.” She sharply inhaled again, then breathed out through her mouth, pouring out all of her disgust and revulsion for the monster in front of her in the summons.

The monster growled, a subsonic grinding sound that made the entire castle vibrate. Then it roared its displeasure at her--black, foul stinking spittle flying everywhere. Slowly, it took a step towards her. Then another. And another... shaking the room, and Hapi herself, each time it advanced.

“Hapi!” shouted Eddy from the far side of the room. “What are you doing? No!” Bert quickly raced to his liege’s side, attempting to calm her and prevent her from doing something rash. 

Hapi swallowed, feeling her heartbeat thrum in her throat. Every nerve and instinct was screaming at her to run, but she trusted in her Professor. She raised her dark glowing hands in front of her, aiming it at the massive horned head. Fucking Saints, it was  _ huge _ . “All right, bitch. Let’s dance,” she muttered in false bravado that she didn’t feel on the inside, her shaking fingers moving the patterns necessary for the strongest spell she knew.

The Demonic Beast reared above her in its befouled glory, and then the teeth were rushing at her, so fast... how can something  _ so big be so damn fast _ …

“THE END APPROACHES!” screamed a voice. A red tide swam before her vision, even as Hapi screamed and cast Hades Omega, the purple glow filling the room with cries of the damned. A shearing roar swept over the room, along with the crack of broken stones.

Something hard and heavy slammed into her, pushing through her spell and knocking her back into the wall and nearly crushing her with its weight.

“Hapi!” came the cry from a multitude of voices.

Remarkably enough, she was still breathing. She didn’t even really feel any pain, aside from the stinking, heavy thing on top of her. The Beast’s head, the red glowing light of its eyes vanished, the slavering teeth inert and motionless. The Professor had decapitated the thing with a single strike. Viscous black blood oozed all over her, mixed with the revolting stench of the monster’s maw. Hapi strained with her arms, struggling to heave the disgusting thing off of her, the aches and pains slowly making themselves known now that adrenaline and shock were no longer dominating her every thought. Linny was already by her side and casting a healing spell, with the other smiling faces of the Black Eagles filling her vision.

“We won? Yay,” Hapi said in a whining voice, spitting monster juice out of her mouth. “Go team. Ra ra, wave the flag. Anyone got a towel?”

* * *

Eddy huffed a displeased sigh at her Professor’s explanation. “While I dislike the fact that Hapi was deliberately put in danger, I am relieved it worked, Professor.” She glanced back at where Bert was helping Shamir and Woody as the team tried to retrieve the Lance of Ruin from the interior of the Beast’s corpse. Spar and Huntress were helping too, but both Doris and Linny instantly declared themselves uninterested at touching the wretched thing and had wandered off.

Chatterbox took a huge swig from her canteen. “It only took three tries. Luckily I figured out how to activate the Sword’s full power in time,” she said with a shrug.

Hapi stared at the groove that had cut through the entire tower, including the stories below them. Even the far wall of Conand Tower was sliced through, with a new four inch gap in the wall, showing the gloomy weather beyond. She was so absorbed in the damage done from the Professor’s strike that it took some time for the words to register. “Three tries, Chatterbox? What do you mean by that?”

“I am certain that the Professor was instantly devising strategies and tactics in her head, rapidly going through each scenario with her brilliant analytic mind,” Fernado boasted to the group upon his Professor’s behalf. Chatterbox stared at him strangely while he blathered on. “Fortunately, she struck out at the last moment, when the monster had committed itself to attacking, leaving its flank wide open to the full power of the Sword of the Creator!”

“It was more your idea earlier this week,” the Professor demurred. “You said Hapi’s ability could be used tactically on our missions.” She swung her blank gaze back to address her directly. “You might be able to control your ability more, if you practiced.”

“Yeah, thanks but no thanks,” muttered Hapi. “Understand why I might want to take a hard pass on that, when I’m still covered in monster goop.”

“T-this has been one of the most awful experiences in my life!” groaned Bernski, latched hard onto Eddy’s arm. Hapi bristled slightly at the sight, though she stopped herself at the feelings of jealousy creeping in. She was also no bed of roses at the moment. Hopefully the rain outside would wash most of the gunk off. Besides, Bernski needed more reassurance after what they had just been through. “Can Relics really do s-such horrible things? I don’t want to turn into a monster like that!”

Fernado coughed delicately, and did his best to gallantly reassure the small noblewoman. “It was an unpleasant sensation, when the Relic turned against Miklan and he...transformed. But since you and I have Crests, we rejected the heretical abomination that Miklan changed into. It was surely some form of divine punishment for his wickedness.”

Making a spare sound of disgust, Eddy scoffed at his words. “Believe what you wish, Ferdinand, but we know what we saw with our own eyes. The Crest Stone on the Lance of Ruin consumed Miklan’s body, using his blood and flesh as fuel for its own ends.”

“And why would a Holy weapon do that?” he challenged his fellow noble.

“Maybe Holiness has nothing to do with it,” suggested Hapi. “I just know what I felt, when Woody’s brother was being swallowed up by that black stuff. It was like when Alfie got swallowed up by the Chalice. It felt like Dark Magic.”

“Dark M-magic!? Oh no, Bernie, we’ve gone and done it! We’ve gone and cursed everyone this time!” moaned Bernski. Eddy clumsily patted her hair, but everyone tried to ignore her commentary.

Chatterbox surveyed the scene as Bert and Woody, their hands covered in gore, finally managed to extract the Lance from the interior of the Beast’s corpse. “We can theorize, but I think...until we hear the official word from the Church, only Sylvain should handle the Lance. That should be safe enough. If I’m not mistaken?” the Professor added with an atypical note of uncertainty.

“Correct, my teacher. And that might be the safest method of all. Until we can ascertain what has happened here, we should only give our mission report in the most factual, blunt manner,” said Eddy, with a significant glance to Hapi. She nodded back to the Princess. They were already in enough trouble with the Church, ever since the incident with Alfie. More monsters popping up around her could make her a convenient scapegoat for the Archbishop.

Their Professor still looked doubtful and distracted, but managed to rally herself to lead them back downstairs. Never one to miss an opportunity, Hapi rifled the bodies of the corpses they passed by, but most had already been picked clean of anything really good. Probably Doris…or maybe even Shamir.

They met up with Doris and Linny back on the first floor, along with the two poor village girls. Their names were Elly and Lucy, and Hapi simply watched as she saw the poor girls’ faces twist in that mix of salvation and despair, the faces of survivors. They had been spared and lived on when the rest of their family hadn’t, simply because they were women. Hopefully there was a Church or shelter nearby where they could go to and people could take care of them. Doris and Linny were generously giving them everything they had already collected from the bandits. At least the girls were decently clothed and garbed now, and armed as well. Shamir and Doris were already launching into an impromptu lesson on how they could protect themselves in the future, showing the two women their best concealed knife techniques as they walked back to the camp.

Outside the black tower, it was still raining, but only a light drizzle now. Hapi lifted her face to the rain, wishing it could just wash everything away, accepting the wetness and chill now, if only to feel clean again. She was looking forward to feeding Nibbles and bundling up in a warm tent.

She felt a nudge at her elbow. Eddy was here, next to her. Huntress and Fernado had gone off up ahead to cheer up a morose Woody, trying to encourage the Blue Lion noble. But Eddy always returned to her.

“I am happy that you are safe,” said Eddy carefully. Neutrally. Through the rain, with her hair undone, she had never looked more normal and plain, and she still had that red and swollen bottom lip from somewhere. Hapi thought she only looked more beautiful, without all the fru-fru girly stuff. It suited Eddy, and her forthright personality.

“I guess I’m happy to be that way too,” Hapi said, smiling slightly to the shorter woman. “Two near death experiences in one day. The Black Eagles sure know how to show someone a good time.”

Eddy arched a wet eyebrow at her. “And how many times did I nearly get killed, helping you Ashen Wolves?” she asked haughtily, but her returning smile belied her words.

“Heh. You’re right. I guess fair is fair, if only for that chase by the Crazy Goddess Doll.”

“Oh, Stars, do not remind me of that!” Eddy laughed. Her lilac eyes sparkled with amusement, but then she winced slightly, touching her lip briefly.

“How’d you get that?” Hapi asked curiously, the corners of her own mouth turning down slightly at the sight. “I don’t remember anyone punching you.”

The Adrestian Princess gave her a wry look, then flushed slightly. “You did...while Dorothea and I were cutting the arrow out of your...chest.”

That stopped Hapi short. “Wait. I punched you?”

Eddy’s smirk grew wider. “You did. It was an impressive left hook.”

As if summoned by magic, Bert materialized behind his liege, overhearing the conversation. “You struck Lady Edelgard?” he hissed with menace.

“Oh, come on! In my defense, she was using her dagger to perform surgery on me at the time!” Hapi yelled in protest, shaking a fist in the man’s face in a mixture of mock and real anger. She gestured down to her chest. “I mean, look what she did to my new uniform! She even cut through my binder! I’ll totally have to go to the town market to buy a new one.”

Bernski shyly stepped into view, critically assessing the damage to Hapi’s clothing with a seamstress’ eye. “Actually, Hapi, um, if it’s okay with you, I could probably fix this with my sewing kit…”

“Binder?” Chatterbox’s voice came from behind her, the teacher stepping in to assess the situation. Bert grimaced and stepped aside for the Professor, her deadpan expression looking from face to face.

Eddy coughed delicately in her bloodstained white glove. “Yes, Professor. They are necessary clothing for most women in combat to wear under their clothes or armor. But I have never seen you wear one during our time in the monastery. Why is that?”

Chatterbox shook her head in the negative at the Princess. “I don’t like booby traps.”

Hapi, Eddy, Bernski, and the Bert stared at their teacher. The former Abyssian was forced to bite her lip. Hard.

“BOOBY TRAPS?” screamed Spar, running around the woods in a panic, his eyes wild. “WHERE?”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, Flayn's kidnapping, since I Can't Logically Let Manuela Sit There Bleeding On The Floor All Month. Don't worry, Dorothea and Petra will still have birthday parties.


	3. Obsidian Dreams, Amber Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hapi shares some heart to hearts with Eddy and Bert and Linny. But as they arrive at Garreg Mach, the Knights are on edge for some reason...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by my dear heart [kenzotenma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenzotenma/pseuds/kenzotenma)! Go read their work and support them too! Or else the monster inside me will get bigger...chomp chomp. Munch munch. Gobble gobble.

Chapter 3: Obsidian Dreams, Amber Alert

* * *

Fortunately, their journey back from Conand Tower was uneventful, the weather improving almost immediately after the battle. Upon their return to camp, Guiltbert and his men were cleaning the remains of a short but uneventful battle, some unlucky stragglers from Miklan’s band having come across the Knights’ campsite in their haste to flee from the victorious Black Eagles. Shamir and Chatterbox gave a concise report of the events in the Tower, their faces all marred by frowns and significant looks to Woody. For once, the Faerghus nobleman was morose and withdrawn, staring into the small sheltered fire the Knights had managed with the wet wood in a brooding silence. Hapi and the Black Eagles avoided the Blue Lion and the faintly glowing Lance by his side, the events of the Tower too fresh in their minds to attempt to offer any support or sympathy.

Hapi and Eddy busied themselves with camp chores, ensuring the horses were fed and watered sufficiently for the return trip back to Garreg Mach. Nibbles was in rare form, sensing the opportunity to play, knocking Hapi onto her ass in the mud after a particularly rough nuzzle. Eddy hid an unroyal giggle at her misfortune while Hapi glared angrily at her mount and her friend, both of them seeming to laugh at her expense.

She was astounded to learn Eddy never bothered to name her own palfrey. After a while, Hapi could see some sense in that. Eddy was a princess, but at times was remote and withdrawn, even holding her own retainer at a distance. Hapi could understand that, and it made her treasure her close friendship with her House Leader all the more. She remembered Doris asking her the simple syllogism before her sigh had accidentally wrecked the sauna; Eddy was a serious person, thoughtful and deliberate in her actions, so if she was going out of her way for Hapi, then surely there must be something there. Right? The thought troubled her for the rest of the evening, yet she quickly fell asleep, her weary body shutting down her scattershot thoughts for her.

After a night of well-earned rest after the battle, the Black Eagle Class and their Professor, one Blue Lion, and several Knights turned their little caravan around for the return journey back to Garreg Mach, starting their return ride through Galatea territory. Some jocularity returned to Woody’s voice the next day, and he was up and about enough to flirt (badly) with Doris and tease (relentlessly) with Fernado. When his jibes eventually started being ignored, he launched into an impromptu lesson of the history of the Galatea territory, it being the homeland of a childhood playmate or something like that. It had majestic views, to be sure, of high snow-capped mountains nearly everywhere you looked, but even Hapi could tell that the ground here was not really suited for farming, despite the abundance of cold, icy streams nearly everywhere they travelled. The slightest touch of the chilly water was enough to discourage Hapi and most of the other Eagles from trying to bathe in the water. Doris claimed that since it was summertime, the water couldn’t be that bad, and insisted on trying it. Shamir and Chatterbox left to watch over the diva, and Hapi was not surprised when the songstress returned under their arms, her lips blue and her skin nearly translucently pale, wrapped in a multitude of blankets. Hapi decided she preferred being warm to being clean for the moment.

She wandered from the camp herself after dinner, which had been hunks of rabbit in a flavorless gruel. Hapi definitely missed the dining hall back at the Academy, absently picking her way around the sparsely wooded countryside. Coming by one of the myriad streams, yet still within shouting distance of the camp, Hapi meandered around, poking around at the rocks and picking up any interesting ones she could find. The vegetation and fauna were different here too; the plants all seemed hardy and resistant to cold conditions and high elevations, and she saw some of the “rabbits” that Shamir and Huntress must have caught for their meal. They looked more like giant, tailless, earless mice than any rabbit Hapi knew about, but they sure sounded like rabbits, the surrounding crevices and rocks full of their warbling cries out to each other. She absently watched the animals go about their day, alternating between watching the sun set over the Oghma mountains in the west and wondering where the heck all these massive boulders in the stream path had come from. Maybe a huge flood? That would make sense…

“You are quite far away from camp to be taking the first watch,” came Eddy’s voice.

Hapi turned to see the familiar pale figure of Eddy, out of her armor and back in her familiar red and black academy dress uniform. “Oh. Hey Eddy. Don’t mind me. Just stretching my legs.”

The Princess gave a slight wince as she joined her by the stream. “I understand. Truth be told, it has been some time since I have ridden this much. The Professor has been most insistent that I learn to ride on my own, however.”

“Sounds like her. What are you doing here anyway?” Hapi asked, examining another pebble in the swiftly fading light. This one was smooth from the water, but it had neat swirls in it too. She pocketed it, moving on to her next target.

She heard a small sniff from Eddy. “I am checking the perimeter of the camp...and on my classmates, of course.”

“Of course.”

Maybe some of her reflexively sarcastic bitterness leaked out. Hapi honestly didn’t even realize she was doing it at certain points. “Is something the matter, Hapi?” Eddy asked.

Hapi kept her attention focused on the rocks. “Nothing. Still wound up after that battle, I guess. You have to admit, that was fucked up.”

Eddy nodded back in the dimness, ignoring the vulgarity, like she always did. “It certainly was. If it had not been for the Professor, who knows what may have happened.”

“Yeah. I mean, I got fletched up pretty good, but there was this weird…” Hapi trailed off, then tried again. “I dunno. I’d guess you’d call it a fever dream or something. I could have sworn I saw that next arrow hit you, so I managed to pull you away from it in time. And then Chatterbox was acting all weird after that.”

“You have just now noticed that our Professor is...different?” said Eddy, a smile in her voice.

“Shut up,” smiled Hapi back. “You know what I mean, right? There’s certain times in battle when she starts acting differently. Like she’s a different person.”

“No, I agree,” Eddy answered thoughtfully, brushing a stray lock from her face. “It is strange. She has this reputation for being an emotionless demon on the battlefield, but she is very expressive and heartfelt from what I can ascertain. Perhaps it is simply the stress of being in command that is making her act out of character.”

Hapi was searching the small rocks on the ground more by touch than sight now, but she felt a particularly jagged and sharp one brush against her fingertips. Conjuring a small flame of anima in her hand, she peered down at it. It was iridescently black, the smooth parts almost reflective enough to be a mirror, but the surface almost rippled in the light. Now that was pretty cool. She quickly added it to her collection, the rocks clinking in her bulging belt pouch.

“You collect rocks?” asked Eddy, standing next to her to observe.

She gave a boneless shrug in return. “Yeah. I like ‘em. Don’t ask me why, it’s just fun to see how they’re all different. There’s so many kinds, so it’s fun to try to organize them and see which ones are alike and which ones are different.”

Hapi could feel Eddy studying her in the twilight. “If you would like, I could procure some reading material for you about the subject,” the princess said.

She shook her head back at the younger woman. “You don’t have to do that. I mean, I only do this because it’s my own weird fun. I think if I studied it seriously, it’d just seem like work.”

“Putting your talented and inquisitive mind to a task should hardly be considered ‘work.’”

“Blame it on how I was raised,” Hapi countered, without much heat.

Even so, Eddy was abashed at her rebuke. “I am sorry. I...I simply think that you have a gift, and would hate for it to go to waste. And I also...forget that even though we have similar pasts, we both have moved on from it in different ways—”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong, Eddy,” Hapi blurted out in a clumsy attempt at an apology. She felt the urge to clarify their differences on this very personal subject. Choosing her words more carefully, she said, “I just...like to avoid things, I guess. And you never had that choice, right? Cause you’re the heir.”

Eddy slowly nodded to her. “That...is true. But I do not intend to become Emperor forever,” the princess admitted quietly, staring up at the hazy blue sky. Slowly, stars and planets were making themselves known, shining bright lights in the dark vastness above them standing out against the last embers of the sun’s rays. “One day, my work will be done, and I intend to retire, and enjoy peaceful days.”

Staring at her friend, Hapi tilted her head in honest confusion. “Wait. You’re allowed to do that?”

Now the smile returned to Eddy’s voice. “One of the perks of being an absolute monarch, Hapi, is that one day I can do anything I wish.”

Hapi laughed appreciatively at Eddy’s dry wit. “Nice. That sounds fun. So what would you do if you retired?”

“I am not sure,” said Eddy, staring back up at the sky. Then she lowered her head, and Hapi could not see her face for her hair, but Eddy’s voice turned sly. “Perhaps I will start a rock collection, like you.”

Hapi gaped at the princess. That sure as hell sounded like an invitation to a relationship. She had just recently gotten the tightly wound little princess to finally joke around and tease with her, somewhat. And now this was...a flirt? Was Eddy finally learning how to flirt? With  _ her _ ?

“Breathe, Hapi,” Eddy primly reminded her. “I am in no mood to fight a monster this evening.”

Remembering to close her mouth, Hapi snorted at the reminder. “The only monster I see is the one I’ve created before me. Holy hell, Eddy. That was a good one.” There was just enough daylight left to see Eddy’s figure stiffen at her remark. Shit. Just as they had something good going, she somehow managed to offend Eddy again with her words this time. Hapi’s mind scrambled to save the situation. “Um, hey, I don’t mean it like that. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I know...but it is getting late. The Professor will undoubtedly make us rise at dawn tomorrow. We should probably return to camp,” Eddy told her, back to her cool, neutral intonation.

Swallowing any objection, Hapi followed her House leader back to the campsite, following the unmistakable sounds of Spar’s loud chatter and Fernado’s boasting, along with Woody’s returning laughter. Doris was currently huddled near the fire, the arms of the Brigid Princess around her. Linny was nowhere in sight, probably already inside a tent. So was Bernski, probably. Who knew where Bert was. Probably looking for some blood to drink. Chatterbox and Shamir were on watch, their backs turned towards the flames, the Dagdan archer already having spotted them. With a curt motion of her hand, the mercenary turned Knight indicated their respective tents, in a dismissive motion, even as Chatterbox nodded easily towards them.

Too soon they were back to their tents, away from the Knights’ own camp. “Good night, Hapi,” Eddy said softly to her, backlit by the campfire. Hapi couldn’t see the expression on the princess’ face in the shadows, but she sounded like she was still upset.

“Wait,” Hapi muttered, reaching into her pouch. She had to feel around a bit before she found the right one. Her fingers grasped the interesting black, jagged-edged stone she had found earlier. She held it out to her House Leader, who was regarding her skeptically. “Here. Take this.”

Carefully extracting the stone from her fist, Eddy held it up to the campfire light to examine it better. “How interesting. You found this one today?”

“Yeah. Take it as an apology for earlier. But...that stone reminds me of you,” Hapi said in a rush, before her courage failed completely. “It only looks black and glossy on the surface. But if you hold it up to the light at the right angle...you can see every color of the rainbow inside of it.”

Eddy went strangely quiet at that remark.

Hapi blundered on. “I mean, it can be the first rock of your collection. Y’know, just to...um, get you started.” Her cheeks were starting to burn. “On your...collection. If you still want one.” Damn it, she was getting goofy. And starting to repeat herself. Like a Goddess-touched idiot.

“No, I do,” Eddy said, sounding once again poised, confidant, and unconquerable. Hapi watched as her friend gripped the stone tightly in her white gloved hand. “It is a beautiful and touching gift, Hapi. Thank you...and I accept your apology. My only request is that you please never call me by that name again.”

The painful sincerity in her voice was heartbreaking. And Hapi felt that she understood, on some level. She didn’t want to be called a monster either. Even as a joke or a tease. “Yeah, Eddy. Um...I get it. I was dumb and careless. And I guess I need to be more careful if we’re um...going to make our rock collection work.”

This time she saw Eddy’s answering, shy smile. It was beautiful. “I look forward to it,” she said sincerely, then with another easy nod, the princess moved to her tent. Hapi couldn’t help but stare, somewhat entranced that she had managed to save things despite her natural inclination to acerbity and stupidity.

Well. And she also got to stare at Eddy’s rear as she dipped inside her tent. That was a nice bonus. 

Feeling slightly clumsy and muddled, Hapi turned and walked to her own tent. And was not the least bit surprised to see Bert standing behind it.

“Hapi,” the retainer said, nodding to her through his black hair. “A pleasant evening, is it not?”

“Yeah, yeah. What’d I do this time?” Hapi asked sullenly. He probably had overheard everything, like the absolute one man goonsquad that he was.

She was surprised to see Bert shake his head and chuckle. “You have done both everything and nothing. May I have a mere moment of your time before we retire for bed?”

“Sure,” Hapi inhaled, then stretching her arms and yawning luxuriously. She was pleased to note him adopt a much more wary posture from her gesture. While she wasn’t the best at cloak-and-dagger games, like Yuri-bird, she had spent enough time down in the Abyss to know the basics. Bert jerked his head to the shadows of the trees, and Hapi obliged him by joining him there.

For a moment, Bert bowed his head in thought, Hapi shuffling restlessly beside him. She instinctively realized that he probably  _ had _ overheard everything. Just the thought made her want to sigh so damn bad. She bit at her tongue instead to help her focus. His sense of drama was ridiculous, and it only made her feel more self-conscious and awkward, like an actor who was ad-libbing their lines.

“I have been researching you...and your past,” Bert announced obliquely, his gaze on the campsite behind her.

“Great. Can I read your dossier on me sometime? I need to make sure you caught my good side,” Hapi said with bored sarcasm.

He chuckled richly again. “Perhaps. You disparage yourself, but I have found that there is little to dislike about you. However, my Lady’s path is a fraught one, with many hidden dangers.”

Hapi stared up at the man in the shadows. He was hard to see, even with his pallid skin standing out like a sore thumb. “So, if you know about my past, then you know about the assholes who...did stuff to us.”

Bert inclined his head. “I do.”

“Then why the hell haven’t you gone after them yet?” Hapi asked bluntly. “I figured you at least would be hellbent on vengeance on Eddy’s behalf.”

“Oh, but I am,” he said with a wicked smile, conjuring a purple flame in his hand. The fey magic only deepened the shadows on his face. “That is why I took it upon myself to be tutored in their magic, their methods, their mindsets.”

Hapi felt a rush of intense revulsion at this admission. “Wait. You learned Dark Anima from them? Willingly? That’s sick, Bert.”

He extinguished his anima, idly studying the back of his black gloved hand. “Perhaps. But such is the depth of my devotion to Lady Edelgard. The perpetrators of that crime will be brought to justice. One day. But there are many obstacles that may need to be...brushed aside.” His green-gold eyes bore into her own. “See to it that you not place yourself among them.”

Clicking her tongue, Hapi shook her untidy red mane. “Swell. So you’re asking for loyalty, but what are you offering me in return?”

“Is it not clear?” he arched an eyebrow down at her. “On that day, you may have the privilege of sharing our revenge. The day where Lady Edelgard and I, her humble servant, build a world...where no child is forced to learn Dark Magic ever again.”

Hapi was silent at that, absorbed in unwelcome thoughts and memories.

Perceptively sensing her hidden distress, Bert bowed down to her. “Please think about my offer.” He wandered back to the campsite, his boots hardly making a sound on the forest floor.

Hapi did. All the way back to Garreg Mach.

* * *

Their return was not what Hapi expected.

The high white spires of the monastery and cathedral on its high mountainous bluff were barely in sight when a full company of clattering Knights in white chain and white cloaks intercepted them, everyone of them on horseback. Chatterbox and Shamir and Guiltbert were in the lead, soon conversing in quiet voices with the leader while the other Knights rudely examined the Black Eagles and their wagon. Hapi reined in Nibbles, unwillingly submitting herself to an intrusive and unwelcome inspection. The Knights were unfriendly and tight-lipped, ignoring Spar’s squawking protests and Linny’s acid commentary on their actions.

“Black Eagles, break for water! I’ll be back in a moment!” the Professor shouted to them, then rode off out of hearing range with the commanders of the brute squad. The other Knights did the same, with roughly half guarding the students, speaking only to themselves in low voices.

Hapi overheard Eddy, who was fairly growling in displeasure to Bert as they moved among the horses, watering them with pails. “The nerve of these Knights! We have successfully completed a mission for the Church, yet they treat us like we have committed a crime! Not a single ‘by your leave’ or even a ‘thank you!’” she huffed indignantly.

Bert’s voice was a soothing drone. “Patience, my Lady. We will have answers to this disturbance soon. It is clear something drastic has happened at the monastery. A security breach, perhaps.”

Hapi grunted as she hefted a full water pail up for Nibbles to quench his thirst. A security breach? Doubtless Yuri-bird had his hands full, then. Whenever anything like that happened in Garreg Mach, the Abyss was usually the first place the Knights would search.

Fernado and Woody joined them, the two noblemen determined to get some answers out of the newly arrived Knights. “Well, these guys are being awfully close-mouthed, but I did manage to listen in on something. Apparently, some girl up at the monastery got herself kidnapped. Dunno if it’s a student, but…” The Faerghus nobleman sighed, the Relic sagging in his grip. “I just hope it isn’t someone I know.”

Ignoring Fernado’s obvious returning joke to Woody, Hapi felt her stomach tighten. A girl. A kidnapping. 

She knew exactly what happened to kidnapped little girls. Her palms felt ice cold all of the sudden, despite the warm morning sun and even as her heartbeat elevated inside of her chest. Nibbles sensed her sudden agitation, playfully lifting his head from the bucket to splash her.

The water shocked her out of her memories. Dropping the half-empty bucket, ignoring the waste, Hapi moved to where the Black Eagles were congregating, trying to piece together this alarming news into a cohesive narrative.

Doris’ beautiful features were a mask of outrage. “What vile sort of person would do such a thing to a girl? At Garreg Mach, no less!”

Eddy was trying to calm her class, their voices raised in umbrage at this outrage. “We do not have any further details as of yet. For now, it is irresponsible to speculate. But I agree somewhat. I feel as if we have already stepped into our mission for this Horsebow Moon.”

Spar was fairly growling at the injustice. “I bet it's some sicko! Some totally creepy guy with a goatee, who’s like, totally slimy and is like, bald and stuff too, who just gets a kick out of being evil!”

“I-I’ve been kidnapped,” quailed Bernski tremulously, her knees and shoulders already quaking. “But that was by my own family! They left me on t-the d-doorstep of Garreg Mach and rode off, like I was some foundling abandoned at a Church!”

“A kidnapping,” muttered Huntress, her face pinched as she strained to understand the word. “I understand what the word means, but why is a baby goat sleeping the meaning for stealing a person in Fodlan?”

Bert and Fernado launched into a brief etymological history of the word for the Brigid Princess, allowing Hapi to squeeze past them to come to Eddy’s side, where she was quietly conversing with Linny. The grass-haired physician raised his head to politely nod to Hapi, inviting her to join them.

“Based on the outsized reaction alone, and how even we were considered briefly under suspicion, I believe Hubert’s initial assessment to be correct. Both a security breach, and a kidnapping,” the healer was lazily explaining, fighting a yawn. “And contrary to all the fairy tales about hobgoblins leaving changelings or witches lulling children with candy, many kidnappings are carried out by trusted authority figures.”

“I was kidnapped by a witch,” Hapi nearly snarled at the younger boy, before remembering herself. Deliberately breathing through her nose. In. And out. In. And out. She changed the subject, avoiding Linny’s slippery inquisitive gaze, and addressed their House Leader. “Eddy. We have to do something. I can’t just sit by if someone’s in danger like that.”

Eddy nodded thoughtfully to her, her purple eyes fierce with determination. “We will, Hapi. But in a deliberate, focused action after careful consideration. Rashness at this point helps no one, least of all the victim.”

“Well said, Edelgard,” Shamir said quietly as the archer joined them. The students immediately surrounded her, demanding answers, but she only held up a black gloved hand up for quiet. Once she finally got it (and Doris and Linny finally managed to shut up Spar), the archer gave out her information like a reconnaissance report in the field.

“Some of you know Seteth’s sister, Flayn. Short girl, long green hair, and a very...earnest attitude. Three days ago she was last seen heading to her dormitory after the evening meal in the dining hall. She has not been seen since. Classes have been suspended pending the investigation, and the Knights currently at the monastery are busy with a door to door search of the town. That said, many of you know,” the archer Knight added, with a significant nod to Hapi, “that Garreg Mach has many hidden labyrinths and passages inside of it. Searching the monastery grounds is the current responsibility of the students, aside from the Abyss.”

“I can go to the Abyss,” Hapi insisted. “The people there know me. Maybe there’s something they wouldn’t tell a Knight. I’ve got enough cred there for that.”

“I can go with her as well,” suggested Linny, for once wide awake and interested. “Flayn was almost certainly kidnapped because of her Crest. She’s a proven major Crest of Cethleann. She would have immense value as a...um, well, let’s just say ‘bride’ for many unscrupulous people,” he said, an expression of distaste on his face.

“No,” breathed Doris in horror, a hand to her mouth. “They wouldn’t dare…”

“The Headmaster’s sister? Then this is a message. And a challenge,” nodded Bert clinically. He turned to the Dagdan. “Have there been any ransom demands? Any notes?”

Shamir shook her head. “None reported so far. Which leads me to believe the point of the kidnapping was simply that. It’s likely she’s alive. But as for finding her...” she shrugged. Bert nodded at the mercenary's logic.

Chatterbox and Guiltbert finally rejoined them, their professor silent in her motions as usual, with the old knight clanking like an army behind her. “Black Eagles, I’ll have to debrief Lady Rhea about our previous mission with Sylvain, but after that I’ll help coordinate our search efforts. For now, I think Shamir needs to work with Catherine and the rest of the Knights, to help with questionings and interrogations.” The Professor turned to Eddy and Bert. “Since I may be indisposed for several hours, you’re responsible for contacting the other House Leaders and Professors and getting the rest of the class to help with the investigation. All signs point to someone at the monastery as the culprit, since there were no signs of struggle or broken locks. The other Knights will help with the town and the surrounding villages. And Hapi…” the Professor directly addressed her. “You need to talk to Yuri. Find out if he knows anything, even if it’s the slightest thing. Got it?” 

Hapi nodded back, her jaw set. “Got it, boss.”

* * *

Once they had arrived and stabled their horses, the Black Eagles reconvened in their homeroom.

Except for Hapi and Linny. Hapi made a straight bee line to the entrance to the Abyss, leaving Linny behind to catch up. “I don’t suppose...we can change out of our riding clothes...first?” he panted, hurrying to match her pace.

Hapi didn’t bother with a reply.

“Of course not,” Linny sighed behind her.

The squad of Knights guarding the Abyss were still there, of course. This time, without requisite clout of the Archbishop’s prior permission, as well as no royals attending them, these indolent Knights assigned to guard felt inclined to throw their weight and bad attitudes around.

“Hey Roz!” one ruddy, greasy looking Knight shouted over his shoulder, hefting himself from his stool. Casually fingering his sword, he stood over Hapi, hoping to loom her in intimidation. “Looks like we’ve got the Black Eaglet here!”

“Oh, the Monster Bitch?” laughed another, narrow, lean faced Knight, coming over to join his compatriot and block her path. “Yeah, she’s the Black Eagle who summons more of her kind. All she does I hear is have to caw them! Ha ha ha!”

The Knight of Seiros erupted in raucous laughter, spittle flying from their lips and down their chins.

Hapi deliberately applauded them, her slow claps ending their mirth as they squinted suspiciously at her unexpected reaction.

“Wow. Must’ve taken all week to come up with that one,” Hapi said, at her deadpan finest. Even Chatterbox would have been impressed. “Bravo, Sir Knight. Maybe next you’ll mention I’m not a worshipper?”

“Shut up, you heathen bitch!” shouted one man in the back. Behind her, Linny was quietly sniggering.

Even some of the Knights were embarrassed at that, but none of them were willing to back down. “In any case, Miss Hapi,” said the first Knight, in his most condescending drawl. “No students are allowed back down in the Abyss. They’re still suspects for stealing the Headmaster’s sister, Lady Flayn, you see. And if you don’t want to add yourself to the list,” he sneered down at her, “you’ll back away. After all, I don’t want you getting your cursed blood on me.”

Hapi clenched her fists in frustration, her nails digging into her skin. She didn’t have time for trading barbs with the lowest, dimmest warm bodies the Knights could throw at her. She glared up at him, imagining herself sighing and watching them all die in agony from Dire Wolf or Roc, or flinging a Miasma in his face, turning his lardy, hairy face into hot bloody wax that would run down from his skull…

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Linny said in an equally casual drawl, “Oh, is that you, Knight Guilders? Forgive me for not recognizing you!” Hapi nearly jerked away in shock. This was the loudest she had ever heard Linny speak,  _ ever. _ Heads around the monastery were beginning to turn in their direction.

“Oh, um, Lord Hevring!” said the beefy Knight. He suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “Um, good day, I didn’t see you there.”

“I do hope my treatment in the infirmary for your small problem between your legs worked to your satisfaction,” continued Linny, in that same loud, yet conversational voice. “Have you been staying away from brothels and loose women like you promised? I would hate for you to spread your pox to your dear wife.” The other Knights began slowly backing away from their ringleader, whose face was turning into a shade of puce.

Linny continued as if he had responded. “Well, it has been wonderful talking to you, but Hapi and I were ordered by Professor Byleth to investigate the Abyss. Just as a precautionary measure, you understand. You know how the wielder of the Sword of the Creator would be upset if we had to go back and double-check her orders with you.”

She had to admit, she did not expect this degree of verbal skill from Linny. With a final, red-faced grunt, Knight Guilders waved them through the checkpoint, his friends finding things to occupy themselves far away from him.

Linny kept a warm hand on her the entire time, only letting go until they were out of earshot, descending into one of the dark, familiar passages to the Abyss. Lighting a simple globe of light in his palm, he asked in a gentle voice, “Are you all right, Hapi?”

“Yeah,” she said, her speech clipped again. Like it always was when she was keeping control of herself. “Thanks, Linny,” she said, trying to look back at him and show she meant it.

His blue eyes danced with mirth in the dimness. “Well, I didn’t want to get eaten too, just so you know...so it wasn’t entirely unselfish,” he smiled.

“Heh. Never want to get pinned down, do you?” Hapi chuckled. “I’m okay, now. Let’s go see Yuri-bird.” 

He rolled his eyes in feigned exhaustion. “Oh yes.  _ Let’s _ ,” he said sarcastically. Hapi snickered again, if only because Linny and Yuri-bird were both very alike in many ways. Naturally, they couldn’t stand each other.

Walking in easy silence down the dark stairs and flickering corridors, Hapi felt another belated jolt of insight.

She had another friend in the Black Eagles.

Maybe she could really do this.

Maybe she could really make friends. Connections. Relationships.

Just by being herself.

* * *

“Mister Lin! Mister Lin!”

As soon as the Abysskeeper, and a surprisingly earnest and friendly Knight of Seiros, waved them through the final checkpoint to Abysstown, Linny was fairly mobbed by the attendant gang of dirty street children, their pale faces gaunt and emaciated.

“Mister Lin, can you see my mama? My mama’s got a cough, and it’s not going away…”

“Hey, I’m first! Mister Lin! My sister’s not feeling well, she’s got a sore tummy, but she’s all sweaty and hot, too…”

“Um, Mister Lin! Um, my grandda broke something in his leg. He can’t even walk or get out of bed, now…”

“Really, now? These all sound serious,” said Linny, his lips pursed. He looked to the oldest child in the group. “Have any monks or nuns been down here to help with healing or diseases?” he asked seriously.

“Some,” said the child with a snaggle-toothed grin. “There was that nice tipsy Lady, Profess’r Manny. Um, and two nice looking ladies, one blondie and one bluie. Along with the nice pretty singing lady.”

“Any girls with green hair? That looks a little bit like mine,” asked Linny gently.

The kids shook their heads guilelessly. “Nah. No one like that.”

“Okay. Let’s see your sister first…”

Hapi felt a pang of jealousy as Linny was dragged away by the sea of children, rolling along with the tide. He sent her a shrug and a nod to her, then turned back to the kids as they took him to the warren of shanties and lean-tos where the majority of Abyss’ population lived. So. Mister Lin would be busy for the foreseeable future, but Flayn hadn’t been sent down with the other healers, as part of Yuri-bird’s “arrangement” with the Archbishop and Seteth to secure better living conditions for the Abyss. Naturally, Mercy, Marie, and Doris had already been down here before, along with Professor Hollowleg. The perpetually inebriated healer probably just wanted to check out the Wilted Rose Tavern, but at least she did good by her patients.

Hapi set off in the direction of the Ashen Wolves classrooms, nodding to the regulars who recognized her from the shadows. Most of the real ruffians were gone, probably having cleared out to avoid the heightened scrutiny from the Knights. But Yuri-bird should still be holding court in the old Ashen Wolves “main hall.” Which was really a converted storage space, that happened to have a half broken chalkboard, some water damaged desks and chairs, and some moldy books.

To her surprise, Yuri-bird was in the hallway, conversing with a group from the old gang. One of them nodded at her, getting their leader’s attention, and to her surprise, they melted back into the hidden alcoves and passages. She felt a brief pang of hurt. Did Yuri-bird hate her or something? Was she already untrustworthy?

“Hey, little miss starshine,” smiled Yuri easily, fingering his doublet and standing with hand on his thin hip. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and she felt like he was wary.

“Yuri-bird,” she nodded back, deciding on being brusque before she could easier gauge his mood. “Anyone been giving you a hard time?”

“Only the entire world,” he groaned dramatically. “I’m sure you’ve heard the news. They were here within an hour of when she was declared missing. Scared a lot of people off with their brute force tactics.”

“I can imagine,” she said, looking around once more. “Doesn’t seem to be as crowded.”

“Oh, they’re still around,” he shrugged. “Just in some deeper hidey holes for the moment, until this blows over. One way or another.”

“I know. We just got back from our own fucked up Church mission.”

“Are there any other kinds?” he said with another humorless smile. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?” Hapi shrugged and stepped by his side as they took a tortuous route through the Abyss.

Yuri-bird wrinkled his nose down at her. “You reek of horse sweat and piss, by the way,” he said bluntly.

“Sorry,” she answered tersely. “Didn’t mean to stink up your little slice of heaven down here.”

“Do you want a bath? Seriously. I’m buying. Betilda’s bathhouse is still open,” he offered.

“That’s nice. But I can’t exactly take a soak while a girl’s kidnapped. It’s the sort of thing I take personally,” she said, trying to catch his eye.

He hummed at that. “Yeah, I can see that. Well, unfortunately, I can’t help you. I’ve even got the gang helping with the search, down below. The sooner this poor kid or her body is found, the sooner we can get back to normal.”

“Another tally mark in your black book, Yuri-bird?” she said bitterly. His casual attitude towards everything bothered her sometimes.

His handsome, androgynous face flashed with anger, but it quickly vanished. “Sometimes...that’s the most some of us can hope for in this world,” he said quietly. They walked on, passing by the denizens of the Abyss, all universal in their misery. Hapi noted some glares of resentment, or dull anger, or worst of all, blank, unfeeling apathy. Directed at her.

Hapi felt another fresh wave of uncertainty, but she couldn’t really blame the people here for their attitude. Where was the princess who was going to save them? All Hapi had done was be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. But even down here, the people knew where she really belonged--what she really deserved.

“Linny’s here,” said Hapi, eager to change the subject. “He’s doing some healing for the families.” 

“Every little bit helps,” agreed Yuri-bird obliquely. “But if I catch him down here falling asleep in the Shadow Library again, I’m drawing a dick on his face with Almyran Ink.”

“He’d probably thank you.”

“Hmm, good point.”

They had completed one circuit around the Abyss, back to where they had started. Hapi moved so she could block Yuri-bird’s path and put a stop to their fragile banter. “C’mon, Yuri. Chatterbox told me personally to come down here. You’ve gotta have something we can use.”

He ran a hand through his pale purple hair. “I wish I had something for you, starshine. I really do. But there’s nothing definite. Only rumors.”

“Deal. I’ll take it,” nodded Hapi firmly.

He leaned closer, putting a finger in his nose slyly. “You didn’t hear this from me. The Knights are on my ass enough as it is. But three days ago, around the time of the kidnapping, Elric told me he saw a big guy, dressed in jet black armor, with two glowing red pin points for eyes in the tunnels near the arena. Sound familiar?” he asked grimly.

“Shit.  _ That  _ dude?” Hapi cursed in disbelief.

“Yeah. And for him to be with those mercenaries we clashed with, and for him to show up again a few weeks later…” Yuri-bird tapped a finger to one chiseled cheek thoughtfully.

Hapi thought about it herself. “You think he’s...someone from the monastery?” she guessed.

Yuri-bird nodded. “That, or somewhere nearby. It lines up. Seteth’s sister didn’t put up a struggle, and nothing was broken or out of place. How fast do you think someone like the Death Knight could subdue her? Without a sound?”

“Pretty easily, if you ask me. His gear seemed magical to me. He didn’t clank or rustle like a Knight in ordinary armor,” Hapi nodded.

“And that is all that I’ve got, I swear. We’ve searched everywhere in that area, but it’s slow going,” Yuri-bird spread his hands helplessly. “There’s probably other passages we don’t even know about, but I kept thinking about the way he found us so easily in the arena. I’m guessing he’s got Church connections of his own, somehow.”

“So it  _ was _ an inside job,” she muttered to herself. She nodded deeply to the gang leader and spymaster, not quite a bow. “Yuri-bird. Thanks. I need to take this back up to Chatterbox and Eddy.”

“If you don’t mind, leave Linhardt behind,” suggested Yuri-bird, a steely glint in his eye. “If he wants to access my library so badly, then he’s going to have to work for it. And also as payment for that tidbit I gave you.” 

Grimacing at how easily she had been outmaneuvered, Hapi grunted. “Deal,” she murmured begrudgingly. Yuri-bird always could run circles around her. Linny would howl at being left behind, especially if he wasn’t there to watch over Spar, and they would be short a healer in case there was a fight, but it couldn’t be helped. She had to tell her Professor about this right away.

* * *

“The Death Knight,” grimaced Professor Chatterbox, leaning with hands on her desk. Briefly, her head bowed, momentarily lost in thought.

Eddy was furious and agitated at the news, exchanging glances with Bert as she relentlessly paced the room. “We likely should have known we had not seen the last of his ilk,” she growled, tugging restlessly at her white gloves as if already gripping an axe. “It seems clear that he wishes to challenge you once more, Professor. He has grown obsessed with you ever since you obtained the Sword.”

“Wait. What’s this story?” Hapi asked the princess, confused.

“It was before you joined our class,” Bert explained, folding his arms. “When clearing the Holy Mausoleum of Western Church insurrectionists, there was a knight dressed as death, on a massive black steed and wielding a scythe. While I suspect he could have cut us all down rather easily, he seemed content to observe our battle from the sidelines, as if he was simply interested in gauging our strength.”

“He didn’t seem interested in gauging my strength,” Hapi told her fellow Dark Mage, remembering the Reaper with bitterness. “If it hadn’t been for Eddy, I’d been filleted up into a Hapi meal by that guy.”

Chatterbox recovered from her bout of introspection. “Well, at least we know him to be a…”

Hapi narrowed her eyes on her teacher. “Don’t,” she warned.

“...sis-picious character in this case,” Chatterbox deadpanned to her students.

At least Eddy and Fernado could groan on her behalf. Bert covered his eyes with one black glove and massaged his temples. Huntress and Bernski giggled, one genuinely, one awkwardly. She guessed it was okay some people were having fun at her expense.

“Chatterbox,” Hapi said solemnly, “that joke was bad, and you should feel bad.”

“Oh, Goddess,” came a new voice, deep and gravely from the entrance to the Black Eagle homeroom. “I knew you and Alois getting to know each other was an omen, but I never would have guessed you’d be this bad.” A sandy haired and bearded man with numerous scars strode through the door to confront his daughter.

Chatterbox shrugged up at her father. “Sorry, Papa. It’s part of Hapi’s training.”

The grizzled Blade Breaker gave Hapi a look of unfeigned sympathy. She shook her red mane in return and smiled. “It’s okay, J.R. Your kid’s a little kooky, but she’s a good teacher all the same. I trust her.”

Her Professor looked back and forth between her father and Hapi. “J.R? Do I even want to know?”

J.R. grinned behind his beard. “Jeralt of Remire, right? I have to say, I like that one. Seems like you fit right in with my daughter and this crowd.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Hapi shrugged, turning to her teacher. “I met your dad at the stables before we went with Woody to Conand Tower. He’s good with horses, and gave me a few pointers I could use with Nibbles. He also introduced me to Whiskeyjack.”

“That’s Papa,” Chatterbox said with a resigned shake of her blue head. “He names all of his horses after alcohol.”

“Who said it was alcohol related?” huffed J.R, slightly offended. “For all you know, it could be the name of a bird found in northern Faerghus.”

“Yeah, right.”

“In any case, Captain Jeralt,” said Bert in a firm voice, determined to steer the banter to more productive ends. “Hapi has discovered some new, potentially valuable information from the denizens of the Abyss.”

She related the story she learned from Yuri to the Knight-Captain. J.R. soon was frowning mightily at the implications. “You kids didn’t hear this from me,” he told the group seriously. “But we’ve been trying to investigate this guy for the past two months, ever since he was sighted at the Holy Mausoleum. But every lead, ever sighting we had, turned up with some Knights dead...or completely missing in action,” he said grimly.

Upon hearing this, Eddy slammed a fist on a table, sending a loud crack echoing through the room. “This will not stand!” she burst out in a rare display of anger, her silver hair flashing. “When I find that sociopath…”

“Calm yourself, my Lady,” said Bert, standing before his shorter liege. “I know this news is upsetting. But we must maintain a larger perspective, for Lady Flayn’s sake.”

Hapi watched with interest as Eddy took a deep breath, then visibly calmed herself, resuming her poised and remote nature. “Yes, of course you are right, Hubert. Please forgive my outburst, everyone.”

J.R. waved it off. “Nothing to forgive, Princess. But now that we have a lead, we’ll get to the bottom of this…”

“Everyone? Excuse me, but...has anyone seen Manuela?” said Doris from the entryway, along with Spar. Her green eyes were wide and fearful.

The teal haired fighter spread his hands helplessly. “Yeah, I mean, we couldn’t find her anywhere. She’s not in the infirmary, she’s not in her room, she’s not even in the drunk tank in town. We’ve looked all over. You don’t think she’s missing, too, right?”

“Now Professor Manuela is missing?” Chatterbox said in a deadly, quiet voice. She seemed poised for action, a warrior about to explode into motion at any moment.

“Oh Goddess, please no…” whispered Doris, leaning hard against the stone wall. “She’s basically my mother. She’s given everything for me. What if she’s...what if she’s been…” she gasped for air, starting to hyperventilate. Huntress bounded to her side in an instant, speaking in a low, quiet voice while rubbing her partner’s back. Doris soon collapsed into the strong princess’ arms, weeping softly.

“When’s the last time Professor Manuela was seen?” Bert addressed the group.

Most of them had no idea, just having recently arrived, but J.R. frowned in thought. “I could have sworn I saw her this morning...she looked like she was carrying something white…”

“Something white?” Eddy instantly questioned, her face keenly interested.

“We need to ask another class,” said Chatterbox declared, already striding to the door. “Black Eagles, gear up and follow me.”

* * *

Chatterbox headed to the Golden Deer classroom first, hoping that Claudester might have some insights. Curiously, he wasn’t there, but Chip and Fangirl were inside, talking in low voices.

Fangirl noticed them first, of course. “Oh wow! Captain Jeralt! What’re you doing here?” she gushed, her orange eyes literally shining in glee as she bounded up to the Captain.

Hapi focused on her breathing to prevent a sigh. She honestly felt bad about the nickname she had given this capable woman. They were of similar age, both commoners, and she really did admire Fangirl’s work ethic. She was a top tier hunter. But defining your entire identity around another person just rubbed Hapi the wrong way. So Fangirl was her nickname, and Hapi felt it was entirely justified because the Alliance hunter had not minded a whit, even when she called her that.

Chip narrowed her eyes at Bert and herself, before folding her tiny arms. “What are you doing here? We’ve made plenty progress at finding Flayn,  _ by ourselves, _ if I may add,” she groused to them.

“Cool. Did you know the Death Knight is a likely suspect, Chip?” Hapi inquired blandly.

Stamping a tiny shoe in outrage, Chip glared venom at her with her pink irises. “I have repeatedly asked you **_not_** to call me that!” she demanded, her little cheeks puffing out with anger.

Fangirl tousled her young classmate’s white hair, snickering, “Why not? I think it’s cute!”

Chip buried her face into her hands. “Goddess, save me from the stupidity of others…”

“Where’s Claude and the rest?” demanded Chatterbox.

“Professor Manuela’s missing,” Fangirl said, her face becoming determined. “We think she was looking for Flayn, and got too close to whoever the kidnapper might be, so she was kidnapped herself. Claude and the rest of the boys went out to look for her on their own, but Marianne freaked out and said it was all her fault. Hilda’s keeping an eye on her.” Hapi nodded at the woman’s explanation. Marie definitely had issues of her own that made her act out in odd ways.

“Before she vanished this morning, the Professor said something about secret passages in the walls,” Chip added, recovering from her indignation. “Apparently the Abyss and Holy Mausoleum are only two examples of the myriad of dusty old passages beneath Garreg Mach.”

“Was Manuela carrying anything when she told the Golden Deer about this?” Eddy questioned gently. “We think she might have discovered a clue, but if she took it with her…”

“I didn’t see anything,” said Fangirl, shaking her head.

“No, wait...I think she did have something in her hands. It looked like a mask,” Chip murmured thoughtfully.

“A white mask?” said Chatterbox quietly, becoming extremely still.

“Wait, like...Ice Cream’s mask?” Hapi asked, looking around the room. Bert and Eddy’s faces had become grim and bitter, but everyone else simply looked more confused.

Except for J.R. He laid one massive, armored hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Perhaps one of the Blue Lions has seen something. We’ll head over and check with them.”

Chatterbox nodded curtly to her father, before leading her class to the Blue Lions homeroom.

The entire class, plus Professor Greybeard and Coco, were there, discussing theories and forming a timetable of Flayn’s known movements on the chalkboard. The sight of all of the Black Eagles armed and armored, and some of them still travel-stained, set some of the Faerghus nobility on edge.

“What’s going on? Why are all of you here?” snapped Fefe, a palm already on his sword as he stepped forward. The Dude walked forward too, interspersing his bulk between his liege lord and the threat he saw before him, his massive fists raised warily.

“Professor Hanneman! Did you know both Professors Manuela and Jeritza are currently missing?” Chatterbox shouted, ignoring the two wary students.

“What?! Really! My word, what has that woman gotten herself into now,” Professor Greybeard mumbled to himself, as he bumbled past his students, one silk glove already stroking his goatee. Hapi ignored him, sliding past some of the other gawking Blue Lion students while the Professors conversed, singling out Coco in the back where she was standing next to Didi.

She had to admit, Coco made the uniform of an Academy instructor work for her. Gone was her grey and blue dress and girdle; now she wore robes of blue with a golden trim, with a subtle Blue Lion imprint on the front clasp holding it together. It matched her unique hair. Someone had put some serious thought into her outfit, and Hapi bet it was due entirely to the Prince next to her. “Hapi, my darling!” Coco enthused, rushing forward to embrace her. Soon, she wrinkled her nose after completing the hug, same as Yuri-bird, but she skillfully avoided the topic of her B.O. “My word! You must have just arrived today! And already you have found clues?”

“Sort of,” Hapi squeezed Coco back gently, then stepped far away to not disturb her friend. “When we heard that a girl was missing, I went straight to Yuri-bird. He mentioned a rumor about the Death Knight.”

Coco returned to Didi’s side, and snapped open her fan, fluttering her face. “Hmm. I had heard that too, but perhaps we should have lent it greater credence. There have been horrible whispers in the past week of a dastard resembling that fiend in town, yet nothing could be verified, according to the Knights.”

“Because the Knights did not want to mention that the threat was very real, and beyond their capacity,” said Eddy next to Hapi’s ear, suddenly coming up beside her. “Captain Jeralt is now taking the threat seriously, however.”

“The Death Knight…” Didi fairly growled, his mien turning dark. “He has humiliated me once before, in the darkness of the Abyss. But I swear he shall not do so again.”

“You were on foot, Dimitri, and he was mounted. He also charged us by surprise. Hopefully this time we can return the favor,” Eddy nodded to the Prince.

“This is true,” he nodded graciously back to her. “Together, I know we can defeat this blackguard, Edelgard. Allow me a moment as I prepare my classmates for combat.” The Prince strode over to speak with Fefe, Freckles, Woody, and The Dude. Soon they were joined by Mercy, Nette, and Griddle, the pegasus knight Hapi had previously seen at the monastery stables. The teenage noblewoman had not been amused by Hapi’s nickname for her. Too bad, so sad.

“With our classes combined strength, plus that of Lysithea and Leonie, we should have more than enough numbers,” Eddy mused, almost to herself. “Still, be ready for anything, Hapi. We will move out soon once we devise a plan of attack to confront Professor Jeritza.” Laying a hand on her shoulder, the Princess brushed past her, moving to confer with Bert and Fernado.

Coco giggled softly once they were alone with each other in the corner of the room. “My my, Hapi! I knew you were familiar with Her Imperial Highness, yet I never knew you were this close.” Her eyes sparkled with gaiety.

“Like you’re one to talk,” returned Hapi with some smugness, arching an eyebrow back at her old friend. “I’m not the one making the Prince of the Holy Kingdom work on his ‘magical core.’”

Blushing furiously, Coco fluttered her fan to cool her heated face. “The Prince has been nothing but sweet and kind to me, especially when my personality...changes...with the weather. I have found that we have much in common, and he has graciously overlooked my declasse status to treat me with the kindness and deference that few others have shown.”

“So when do I get to call you Queen Constance,” Hapi winked to her friend suggestively. She knew exactly how to make Coco rise like bread dough to her teasing.

“Hapi!” Coco was blushing all over now, yet her smile only widened. “A true noblewoman does not kiss and tell!”

“Oh, you’ve kissed, then?” Hapi grinned, enjoying the moment hugely.

“Hapi! Behave! It is simply an idiom, a figure of speech! Besides, any relationship we have is strictly under wraps! I must observe proper decorum as an instructor of the monastery!”

“Don’t worry, Coco,” Hapi smirked. “Your secret is safe with me.” Except Coco had been talking loud enough that she was sure that half the classroom had overheard. She could already hear Woody in the background start to give his Prince holy hell, and Fefe’s annoyed groaning, along with nervous giggles from Mercy and Nette.

So. Professor Ice Cream might be the Death Knight, the Reaper Dude, Mister Grim. Oddly enough, she felt at ease and confident. Between Coco, herself, Chatterbox, Didi, and Eddy, even someone as strong as Ice Cream wouldn’t stand a chance.

She just hoped they were in time to rescue Manuela and Flayn. It was always women and children who suffered the worst from people who were total psychopaths. But she wasn’t a kid anymore. She was going to make sure she could at least rescue this kid Flayn from similar circumstances. 

Even if they were affiliated with the Church, no one deserved that. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of grew out of control, but we'll delve into some action next chapter. Although I don't think I want to do a warp maze mission, so maybe some AUness and artistic license will be taken.
> 
> Regarding Edelgard's motives for showing up at all in the Flayn mission, it occurs to me that she's not there to gloat, or be villainous, or anything like that. She's there to save her classmates. Not to rehash the great CF debate, but I think people continually overestimate how much control this eighteen year old girl has over her particular situation. Hence why Edelgard of all people becomes dependent on Byleth, to a degree that surpasses Claude and Dimitri. This isn't Edeleth, but I'll try to show a deep and trusting friendship between them as well in future chapters.
> 
> Obv lots of action coming up, but I enjoy it. Might be a little bloody, but Hapi will avoid being on her back for the majority of this mission, hopefully. And I do want to show the BL and BE cooperating and being friends before the inevitable "Uh-Ohs" that will follow. 
> 
> And of course, don't forget the refs and tributes! They're sprinkled out all throughout this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Hapi Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Together with the Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, two Golden Deer, and Jeralt of Remire, Hapi and the gang march forth to confront Professor Jerkritza.

Chapter Four: Hapi Birthday

* * *

Naturally, Professor Ice Cream’s door was locked in the faculty hallway.

The Professor made them stand back, then cut the iron and oak door down with a single slash of the Sword. Hapi bit her lip, and some of the Blue Lions and Bernski cried out at the woman’s violent actions. It was clear that Chatterbox was very, very angry, because all could see that even though her face was an expressionless mask, her blue eyes were colder than a glacier.

What they found inside did little to improve her mood.

The Combat Instructor’s room was spartan and utilitarian, just like the man’s facial expressions and how he dueled with their Professor. But lying on the floor, in a pool of blood and appearing far too still and pale, was the Golden Deer Professor.

“Manuela!” shrieked Doris, pushing past everyone, skidding to her knees by her fallen mentor. “No, no, no, no!” she chanted in anguish, even as her shaking hands pressed firmly against the bright red wound in the Professor’s abdomen. Hapi stared in morbid fascination at the healer’s white and green robes, now darkly stained red and brown. She was almost certainly…

Mercy brushed past her, her normally breathy voice assertive and firm as she calmly knelt by the panicking songstress, quickly feeling Hollowleg’s neck for a carotid pulse. “She’s alive, but barely…” the Blue Lion murmured, casting her own healing spell on the older woman’s wound. Soft golden light collected in Mercy’s fingers, flowing into the Professor’s comatose form, and the slow flow of blood stopped, but Mercy raised her head in agitation to the rest of the group. “She’s in severe shock from blood loss. We need to take her to the infirmary right away.”

Professor Greybeard was visibly upset, and was the first to move to assist the students. “Manuela…” he muttered, wringing his silk gloved hands. He stooped over the woman’s shoulders, attempting to assist. J.R. stepped forward to take command, turning to look back at the students. “We need one more volunteer to help carry Manuela back to her quarters. Preferably not a mage, since she should have enough of those by now,” the old Knight rumbled to the group.

Eddy surprised everyone by dropping her axe with a clang against the stone floor. “I can assist Professor Hanneman. Dorothea can help me carry her, while Mercedes works on keeping her stable. We must move quickly to ensure her survival,” she said firmly, but not unkindly to her softly crying classmate.

“Come back when you’re done, Edelgard,” said Chatterbox in her monotone, pointing to a crevice in the wall, behind a bookcase. “It looks like Manuela found out something she wasn’t supposed to. She hasn’t bled out, so we can assume he’s still down there...wherever there is.” Eddy nodded in response, and easily carried most of the weight, letting Doris and old Greybeard handle the former diva’s legs. Mercy hovered nearby, hands glowing bright with healing energy, keeping her patient alive and strengthening her vitals.

The Professor and Spar went straight to work, knocking the nearly empty bookcase over with a crash. The students crowded around the ex-mercenary and her father as she raised her Sword into the darkness, its red glow illuminating a dark staircase leading into a subterranean void. Rough hewn stone walls dripped with moisture and smelled of fungus.

J.R. grunted at the sight. “Lovely. Another secret passage in Garreg Mach. I told Rhea we should have walled all of these catacombs up years ago.”

“So he had his own private passageway into the Abyss? No wonder he could move around us so easily,” Hapi muttered to herself. However, Bert overhead her and nodded.

“We must investigate this immediately,” he said, fastidiously stepping over the pools of blood on the floor. A flex of a black gloved wrist conjured a globe of light in his hands for illumination. “Since we know that he was discovered by Professor Manuela, it is imperative we attempt to rescue Lady Flayn. While I do not think Professor Jeritza is a man inclined to panic, we can see he cares nothing about attacking former comrades.”

“At last,” muttered Didi, flexing his broad shoulders, his knuckles tight on his lance. His voice deepened to a growl. “Such a dastard must be brought immediately to justice...if I do not end his life myself.” Coco frowned briefly in distaste at the Prince’s bloodlust, while conjuring a multitude of hovering balls of light for the entire group, not one to be outdone by Bert.

Fe-fe snorted as they began their descent, his sneering voice audible to everyone. “Don’t go crazy on us, boar. That’s what they’re probably counting on.” Griddle whispered harshly in reprimand at him, and he only scoffed again in response.

Chatterbox stopped short when they rounded a bend in the deepening gloom of the hidden staircase. “Everyone stay close to me. No one knows what we’re going to find down here, but if anyone sees Jeritza  _ or  _ the Death Knight, leave them to me and the Sword.”

“Don’t forget your old man, kid,” grunted J.R, his brown eyes twinkling in the dim light. “I want a crack at this guy, too. You focus on keeping your brats safe.”

Fangirl squeezed to the forefront between a quietly observant Huntress and an annoyed Fernado. “I can help too, Captain! No one is gonna stand against you and me together!”

He tousled her hair roughly with a mailed hand, inadvertently yanking a few orange hairs out when he withdrew it, but she bore it up with a grin. “Appreciate it, kid, but stay near By. I want you to protect her. Promise?” The young woman glanced in dislike towards her self-proclaimed ‘rival,’ then slowly nodded in assent.

They shuffled forward once more, the light and noise of so many people clambering down the stairs undoubtedly alerting whoever waited below to their presence. Hapi found her palms were sweating, her breathing becoming more rapid and her pulse quickening. She remembered her last fight to the death a week ago, and the past week of travel did nothing to quell her anxiety over this unexpected skirmish they might find themselves in. Unconsciously, she found herself crowding closer to Chatterbox, hoping that the young Professor’s glowing Sword and leadership will win the day once more. With Eddy absent, Hapi trusted the blue-haired Ashen Demon more than anyone else in the group to keep them alive and safe.

Rounding another bend of steep, uneven stairs, Hapi felt her anxiety get the better of her. Under her breath to her Professor, she said, “Hey, Chatterbox--remember how you were telling me you hated stairs?”

Her strange teacher nodded in reply, even with her eyes tracking every shadow, her crimson glowing ivory Sword held unflinchingly before her.

“Well, um,” Hapi continued, trying to pace her breathing, wiping her hands on her riding trousers. “You said you hated upstairs because they’re always up to something. So what do you hate about downstairs?”

Chatterbox glanced behind at her, but then smiled slightly with one corner of her mouth. A serene, crooked smile that filled Hapi with an irrational confidence that everything was going to be okay.

“There’s no depths that they won’t sink to,” said Chatterbox with a nod, then turned forward once more.

Hapi was absurdly delighted when she heard most of the students sigh or quietly groan at the Professor’s brand of humor. Even Spar was learning.

J.R. only chuckled.

* * *

When they finally saw an orange light at the end of the staircase they were following, the Professor and her father led the way into the chamber, with Fernado and Didi but a step behind, lances on guard at the ready. The other melee students fanned out with them, with the mages and archers crowded behind, but the fighters stopped up short in confusion, easing out of battle crouches and lowering their weapons.

Once Hapi stepped into the room with them, just a step behind Bert and Netty, she saw what had brought them up short.

The orange glowing chamber was massive, almost as large as the ancient arena in the Abyss, but much more ornately decorated, with flowing runic scrollwork adorning the floors and the walls. Hapi instantly noted how the runes pulsed and glowed in certain corners; Coco and Bert were already edging past the Professor and her father to discreetly study them, speaking in low voices. Looking around, Hapi tried but failed to find a light source for the room. That must be magical, too. Doors without handles marked differing exits to the wide chamber, and she figured they must raise into the walls like portcullises. Ahead of them, a finely ground glass window spread wide in front of them, and beyond the glass they could see tables, tubes, beakers, and phials. It was a fully stocked mage’s laboratory--smack in the middle of Garreg Mach, deep underground.

And on those tables, they could see the still forms of two girls: one with red hair, the other with green.

“BAH! Professor! Look! It’s Flayn!” yelled Netty, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet, her small hands pressed against the glass. “She’s strapped down to something bad! It looks to be very  _ very  _ magic and very bad!” The young girl began pulling her pigtails in agitation.

Bert joined his much shorter classmate at the window, peering inside with her. “An entirely accurate, if not astute, observation, Lady Dominic. That is indeed ‘very bad,’ as you put it. They appear to be extracting blood from the young women, and it is being processed by these machines. Or perhaps even...refined…” he trailed off into private musing.

Hapi frowned along with him, watching carefully to see the slight rise and fall off the girls’ chests, noting the tubes of blood and unconsciously scratching on the needle scars in her own arms. While the Reaper, or Ice Cream, or  _ whoever  _ he was now, was certainly a great martial fighter with awesome gear... this entire set-up reeked of Dark Magic. That guy didn’t seem the type to actually do magical experimentation or bother with Crest blood collection. So, then, who was  _ really  _ behind all of this? Was it someone like Cornelia?

Despite the warm fetid air of the underground chamber, Hapi shivered involuntarily.

Chip and Coco had joined them, the other mages making loud sounds of disgust at the forbidden sight of human experimentation. Chip whirled to the Professor and the Captain, who were investigating the remainder of the room and working on how to open the doors. Didi and The Dude were attempting to move them, but even the legendary strength of the Prince could find no leverage to grasp the smooth edifices and actually lift. “Professor!” Chip shrilled out loudly, her young face twisting in anger as she ran to their teacher, tugging at her arm. “We have to help them! They’re being experimented on for their blood! We have to save them before it’s too late!” Hapi nodded in silent approval, a sneaking suspicion forming in her mind regarding the young Alliance noblewoman.

“So, there’s all this stuff here,” said Spar, waving his gauntlets around the giant room and scratching his head. “But where’re the bad guys? There’s got to be an evil mage running this place, right? We need to find him and get him! Do you guys think he’ll have a long white evil beard, or a short and pointy black evil beard?”

“Bad men are not needing beards to be wicked, Caspar,” Huntress reproved the brawler, nodding to him to make him look up behind him. J.R. loomed over the Black Eagle student, stroking his bearded jaw thoughtfully as he stared down at Spar in amusement. He quickly stammered an apology.

“Perhaps we can break the glass?” suggested Fernado, tapping on the barrier separating them from the victims. He gave the transparent surface a few tentative whacks with his lance, then frowned when the metal bladed tip of his weapon did not even leave a scratch on its surface.

“As I thought,” declared Coco loudly to herself, sweeping up to stand by the nobleman. “Dear Ferdinand, that glass is made and enhanced by magic. It will take the skill of a Nuvelle sorceress to break that barrier! If everyone would please stand back to allow me room to perform my spectacular feats of talent…”

A sudden low hum buzzed through the air, with several of the runes on the floor glowing bright red, casting grim shadows across the room.

“The teleportation matrices are active! Professor! Foes approach!” yelled Bert in alarm, backing away from the sparkling squares and raising his hands defensively.

“Everyone! Back to the stairs! Mages at the rear, archers on our flanks! Ingrid, Sylvain, Leonie, Petra! Support as needed!” shouted Chatterbox in her general’s voice, taking her stance near one of the squares, ten feet away. J.R. herded the rest of the students to their assigned positions, with the Blue Lions, the Black Eagles and the two Golden Deer readying spellcraft and steel.

An onyx monster on a familiar jet black warhorse materialized in the center of the chamber, with other masked men in red and black armor readying swords and bows from the other teleportation sites. Each time a hum throbbed, another foe joined against them until the large chamber was fairly filled with the strange soldiers, until they were outnumbering their own large group. Hapi swallowed hard, wondering if she should sigh and give them cover as they ran back upstairs. But that would likely doom the comatose Flayn and the other girl in the lab. She raised her darkly glowing hands, hoping they had enough strength to come out of this one alive, waiting for her Professor’s signal. Silently, deep inside herself, she urged Eddy to hurry her ass back down here. With Eddy’s strength added to the group, plus whatever help she might bring, they might have a chance. Hapi wouldn’t mind throwing a battalion of Church Knights in between herself and these strange masked cultists.

Sure enough, the inevitable tête-à-tête was on as the Death Knight focused on the Professor. “That Sword…” rumbled the Reaper, giving his own massive scythe a few buzzing swings past his mount’s head. The horse did not react at all to the purplish metal flaming by its eyes. Hapi narrowed her gaze at the sight. His intonations did kind of sound like Professor Ice Cream, and they appeared to be of the same size and build. But why the bizarre deceptions? Why pretend to be a Combat Instructor at the monastery then kidnap someone to a secret lair under the Church? Something didn’t feel right about this encounter.

“One of us will die, and the other will live…” the Death Knight went on, raising his left black hand to order the attack. “I look forward to this dance of damnation…” Behind him, the ranks of masked soldiers tensed for a charge.

Chatterbox lowered the Sword of the Creator and stepped closer to the man’s horse. “Hi, Birthday,” she said in a monotone, goofily waving her own left hand to the mounted knight like they were at a Garreg Mach church picnic.

The death-skulled helm jerked backwards in shock. “...what?” the raspy voice finally asked, seemingly at a loss for words.

“It’s good to see you again, Birthday,” continued Chatterbox conversationally, tilting her head towards the glass encased laboratory. “You into little girls now? I didn’t know picking on kids was your style. I thought you said you didn’t want to fight weaklings. Unless you’ve been deliberately avoiding me...and our duel, Birthday.”

“Stop calling me that!” roared the Death Knight behind his amplified mask, to discomfiture of his own soldiers, who shuffled restlessly at the sight of their leader’s outburst. Nearby, J.R. and a few other students were sniggering. Hapi giggled too, realizing what the Professor was doing.

Chatterbox raised her sword above her head in a two handed grip and started singing, horribly off-key. “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Mr. Scared of My Sworrrrrd…”

With an inarticulate scream, the Death Knight kicked his mount’s flanks and charged the Professor.

“Papa!” shouted Chatterbox as she dodged the initial charge, rolling to face her opponent, bringing the Sword of the Creator back to bear. “Keep them safe, let the mages thin them out!”

“Got it, kid,” rasped J.R, then nodded towards Hapi and the others. “Well?” he drawled at them, nodding at their foes. “Fire away, brats!”

Coco laughed uproariously as she conjured a Bolting glyph, and The Bert was beside her, cackling darkly with glee while conjuring his own magic. Explosions of lightning and corrosive Dark Anima erupted inside the enemy ranks. Free to cast their own spells, Hapi, Chip, and Netty joined in the fun. Even Woody slung his lance over his shoulder to fire off several fireballs. Next to him, Fe-fe held his sword defensively at the ready, but kept glancing back at his friend, his face showing consideration.

The massive, magical chamber rumbled and shook at the detonations of the elements that ripped through the enemy ranks like paper. Screams and choking cries of agony erupted within the maelstrom of violence. Enemy archers dove for cover to try to volley at them in return, but Huntress, Bernski, Freckles, and Fangirl aimed their own arrows back with ruthless determination. With the masked ones cornered, more and more spells and shafts from the students found their marks in writhing bodies.

The lance bearers and sword wielders picked up the stragglers, with Didi smoothly evading an axe before skewering its owner like a kebab, then spinning the corpse off from his weapon into another enemy. The Dude simply slammed a large spiked shield into his opponents’ faces, battering them into submission before letting his own massive steel hammer down for the final blow. Less powerful but more graceful, Fe-fe and Griddle, along with Spar and Fernado, acted as a clean up crew on either flank, engaging soldiers who managed to slip by the Prince and his retainer. The bodies at their feet piled up, and Hapi managed a bit of a breather to look at Chatterbox’s duel with her nemesis.

“Birthday” had the advantage of being mounted and armoured, but Chatterbox was clearly utilizing her Relic to its full effect, extending it to lash at the man and his mount at every opportunity. Despite several gouges in the horse’s armor, it moved as one with its master, performing leaping kicks, spins, and rearing at exactly the right moment to take the brunt of every attack. All without making a sound. A dark suspicion creeping into her mind, Hapi moved her hands and invoked the glyph for Swarm Z, summoning a veritable hornet’s nest aimed directly at the sensitive tail of the mount.

The whining buzz of the magical insects attacked, and the mount still did not cry out, even flinch. No horse or animal on the planet was that well-trained. Which meant…

“Chatterbox!” Hapi yelled over the din of combat. “His horse is undead! Or magical itself! It can’t be hurt! That’s why it’s taking all of the hits from your Sword! It can’t feel pain!”

“Is that so?” shouted J.R, barreling another masked man away from him with a broad shoulder, then hefting his war lance like it was a javelin. “Then let’s change things up a bit! Here, Knight boy! Catch!” And threw the massive weapon directly at the head of the so-called black horse.

The weapon went through the construct’s neck, even with the Death Knight blocking and parrying the furious swings of Chatterbox. Both rider and mount ignored the attack entirely, the Reaper focused entirely on his own battle. J.R. gaped a bit at the sight, then shook his head wearily and drew his broadsword, running up to assist his kid in her duel.

The masked soldiers kept coming, with more and more being summoned from the strange glowing runic squares in the corners of the room. The dance of the fighters slowed to stumbles and curses, because the sprawling limbs and gore-slick ground made footing treacherous. Wounds started appearing on the Blue Lions and the Black Eagles, and Fangirl ran out of arrows, so she unslung her spear and rushed the press of milling bodies engaged in duels to the death. Chip’s great bursts of Dark Magic, larger than even Bert’s, came slower and slower, the young teen’s pale face now slick with thin lines of blood dribbling from her nose and mouth, pushing herself to her limits. Coco switched to healing and rescuing the cadets, her face no longer laughing. Neither was Bert, his face locked somewhere between violent serenity and grim acceptance. Out of spells, Netty rushed forward with a tiny hatchet in her fist, her face determined while helping plug a gap in the line where Spar and Freckles were being pressed.

Hapi shook her hands, recognizing the tell-tale effects of fatigue as her magical reserves were depleted. The reinforcements seemed endless, and even three on one, the Death Knight was holding his own against Chatterbox, Fangirl, and J.R, as they futilely stabbed the invulnerable mount or had their weapons skid across the fine black armor, hardly leaving a mark.

“We have to bring him down, otherwise we’re buttered toast with jam,” muttered Hapi to Bert, wiping sweaty hair away from her eyes. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“I agree,” he said curtly, then gently reached down to steady the fatigued Lady Ordelia, who was wiping blood from her face. “Lysithea. If you are unable to cast further, then you must retreat up the stairs. Lady Edelgard will find you and protect you.”

“I’ll do it,” gasped the tiny mage back at him. “I have Dark Spikes left. It should be effective enough…”

“Wait,” she interrupted the kid. “I cast a Swarm Z at him and his horse, and it did nothing. I think he’s made himself immune somehow. To Dark Magic,” Hapi desperately explained.

“That shouldn’t be possible!” Chip grumped, scowling up at her. “He can’t be completely immune to magic!”

“He might not be, but if his weapon and armor and mount are…” nodded Bert, cupping his chin as he considered.

Chip folded her arms, watching the frantic melee. Despite their Crests and superior skill and training, it was becoming clear that this strange army would win through attrition alone if they did not do something. Even Didi and Fe-fe’s movements were becoming sluggish. “Hubert...could it be that he’s immune because of our theory?” the young noblewoman slowly asked the Imperial retainer.

“Grand Unification Theory?” he asked. Then he nodded eagerly. “I see your gist. You think his equipment was made through Pure Anima, so it would take three spells from each school to break through.”

“Just shut up with the theorycrafting and tell me what to cast,” grunted Hapi, trying to gather enough mana within herself for one last blast.

Bert regarded each of them, then drew a silver dagger from his belt. “I will send Constance to meet with you. Hapi, when Lysithea tells you, cast Seraphim.” With that, he ran forward to help Coco away from healing an exhausted Griddle and Fernado.

“Seraphim?” Chip asked Hapi in shock. “You know advanced White Anima?”

“Only the killing ones,” she told the kid, shaking her head down at her. “My kidnapper didn’t want me to learn how to heal. She kept that trump card for herself, to keep me in line. If we live through this, I’ll tell you about it.”

“Oh,” said Chip, appearing subdued for once, then her natural haughtiness returned. “Well, if you can cast White Anima, then I can cast Dark Anima, and your friend Constance can cast Black Anima. Does she know much Black Anima besides lightning spells?”

Hapi grinned as her old bestie approached. “Trust me, Chip, Coco knows  _ everything _ about Black Anima,” she smiled.

“Indeed I do! Hubert, in his own maudlin way, has informed me of the plan! On my mark, we shall craft a grand spell ritual unequaled by any practitioner in the long history of magic in Fodlan.” Coco let out a delighted, manic giggle. “With myself in the center of it, of course! I shall cast Angea’s Arrow!”

“I’ll do the Seraphim,” nodded Hapi.

“And I’ll cast Dark Spikes,” nodded Chip, an excited gleam in her pink irises. Coco’s insanity was becoming infectious. “Once they’re clear…”

The three mages did not have to wait long for an opportunity. Despite her mocking words earlier, Chatterbox’s blue hair was matted with sweat and blood, although her blue eyes were clear and firm, focused entirely on her opponent. Tiring of his game, the Death Knight turned and focused his attacks on Fangirl, who was clearly outmatched. She screamed in pain, forced into a corner of the room, bleeding from numerous bloody wounds, her spear broken and useless. The Captain charged to her rescue, his heater shield raised and taking blows from the scythe and hoof, grimacing through every block, but unable to counter the furious assault.

“Chatterbox! We’re ready!” shouted Hapi, raising her dark hands, now glowing white and soft motes of lights, like feathers, drifting through her fingers. Beside her, Coco’s eyes glowed as she summoned the power for the most powerful of Black Anima spells; dark runes and circles rotated before Chip while she conjured with her tiny fingers, her jaw clenched in fierce concentration.

The Professor glanced at them and understood instantly. “Birthday!” she shouted to the monstrous Knight “Your fight is with me, you coward! Or are you so afraid to die you feel the need to cover yourself up with magic?”

Pausing in his attacks, the Reaper turned in his saddle to regard his nemesis. “Bold words for a pawn of the Church, wielding a Relic like a crutch. Like a handicap,” the mechanical, deep voice sneered, brandishing his purple scythe at their teacher.

The Professor held out her sword arm, then dropped her glowing Relic. Its glow instantly dimmed, and she kicked the inert ivory weapon far across the room, out of reach. She drew a short rapier from her belt, the thin blade mocking and comical while pointed at the large frame of the mounted Knight. “That’s true. Let’s make it a fair fight then. Take off your mask and dismount.”

“Fool,” laughed the Death Knight, a hollow and dead sound. “There is no honor on the battlefield. Only Death!” Wheeling his golem-like steed around, the Knight savagely kicked his heels again, the horse charging the Professor to run her down, or be caught by lightning quick swing of his fey blade. She had no avenue of escape.

Coco brought her hands together, seizing the moment. “Now! Play your part! Agnea’s Arrow!”

“Dark Spikes!” screamed Chip, her spell unfurling into the air with iron and sulfur.

“Seraphim!” shouted Hapi, right after her.

A blue beam of light enveloped the charging Death Knight, before an arrow of magical light so dense that it appeared solid and opaque thundered on top of him. At the same instant, vicious spikes of Dark Anima spun in place, then impaled rider and mount both, even as Hapi clapped her hands, channeling Seraphim and pure White Anima onto her targets, with a shimmering rainbow of prismatic energy bursting upon them. The combined magicks detonated all at once, blowing a crater in the stone chamber and raining dust and stones upon the heads of all, the result feeling like a localized earthquake. The shockwave blinded and deafened all within the chamber for a prolonged moment, scattering students and soldiers alike into each other, blowing limp corpses like ragdolls into the far reaches of the room.

Hapi groaned, then coughed when putrid dust caught in her windpipe. Blinking her watery eyes open, she raised her aching head from the ground, shifting a bit at the weight on top of her. It was the unconscious form of Chip--the noblewoman slack against her, but alive and breathing. Thankfully. Coughing again, Hapi gently eased the unconscious girl to the ground, mindful of supporting her head and neck, before getting up on one shaky knee to survey the room.

Coco was nearby, leaning hard against a wall and holding her ribs, gasping in pain each time she inhaled. Hapi winced in sympathy, knowing that must hurt like hell but she should be okay for the moment. Didi and The Dude, along with J.R, were among the first to stagger to their feet and collect their dropped weapons. Fangirl was out of commission, a shrunken form of orange and red propped up against a pillar, along with Freckles near the doorway to the stairs, his silver head rolled down to his chest, either unconscious or dead. Nette and Huntress were helping the others, including a seriously injured Woody, who apparently had shielded Fe-fe and Griddle with his own body. His back was torn and bloody, and he was knocked-out as well. Bert was nowhere to be seen, but Hapi trusted that he was observing from the shadows, per his M.O. Spar limped up to her, giving her a wide grin that was bloody but cheerful. “I think you guys did it! Nothing left of that asshole but a crater! See?” he said, pointing to their handiwork in the center of the room.

Chatterbox was up, holding her left arm gingerly as she peered into the small depression in the stone that their magic had left. Hapi couldn’t see because of the dust and smoking backlash from their strike, but she heard her Professor suddenly curse loudly, gaining everyone’s attention. She quickly ran back to her Relic, scooping up the Sword in her right hand, shifting her stance to compensate for her broken arm.

“No fucking way,” Hapi groaned, trying to find some final spark of magic within her, but failing.

The glow from the Professor’s sword finally illuminated the scene before them, through the thick veil of dust.

Like a bather rising from a stream, the Death Knight arose from the confluence of magic that should have killed him. Not that he was undamaged--here and there were bits of broken armor, the odd dent, and the even sparking discharge of orange glowing magic that arced outward periodically from his breastplate. His mount had been obliterated, though, their combined spellwork having fused the magical creation into the bedrock beneath the runic stone plates. But even striding upon rock that was heated into lava, the Death Knight walked unperturbed, his grim scythe resting on a broken pauldron. Despite that, he appeared healthy enough to kill them all. Easily.

With a casual red glowing survey of the room, the Knight raised his left vambrace to his helmet, his few surviving men gathering around him. Hapi was briefly confused at the odd gesture until he spoke. “All units. I need reinforcements to the blood extraction chamber. Converge on my position.”

“Shit,” Hapi said in despair, meeting Coco’s eyes. The spent noblewoman sorceress gazed back at her in dull agony, unable to breathe, much less cast a spell, without an involuntary hitching of her breath. A hopeless tear trickled from Coco’s blue eye, streaking down the dust and soot on her cheek.

This looked like the end.

Still. There was one last thing she could do. Hapi caught her Professor’s eye past the large form of the Death Knight, looking at her. Blue eyes met crimson, and Chatterbox slowly nodded her permission.

The Dude and Dimitri were almost leaning on each other, but grimly readied their weapons. Nearby, the other standing Blue Lions stood protectively over Woody’s limp body. Hapi prepared to sigh, knowing it might kill them all, but anything would be better than letting this bastard win and use them all for Blood Magic. She sharply inhaled and held her breath in anticipation.

A single runic circle activated, but only one armored figure strode from it.

“I countermand that order,” said the black armed and robed person in loud robotic tones, wearing a white mask with red stylized fire running across it. Instantly the strange soldiers, except for the Death Knight, fell to their knees in supplication before this new personage. Across their shoulderplates and down an ornate raised helmet spike, red brilliant feathers puffed upward and out, like the plumage of a peacock. “All units, at ease. The Death Knight and I will be retreating shortly,” the masked man said.

“You are interfering with my game,” rasped the Death Knight darkly to the smaller figure, bringing his scythe to bear, as if he would attack this newcomer, even as the remaining soldiers rushed away toward the runes on the ground, teleporting them away from the battlefield.

The masked individual made a spare sound of disgust at Birthday. “You will have more chances to play soon enough. You are done here, for today. That is an order. My order,” they said, their mechanical tone higher and more refined, but no less cold and unfeeling.

For a long moment, neither black armored figure moved as they stared each other down. Finally, the Death Knight’s shoulders slumped in acquiescence and the glowing red eyes lowered. “Understood. I will go now.” Standing straighter, he adjusted something on his belt, abruptly vanishing in a swirl of purple light. Hapi blinked in awe at that feat. She didn’t know  _ anything  _ that could mimic a Warp or a Rescue, in material form. That was insanely high level magic. Even Cornelia and her lackeys had needed to invoke spells to transport themselves across distances.

“And just who are you?” growled Didi, stepping forward to the smaller armored figure threateningly. “Are you the one responsible for the gruesome deeds here? For the lives lost this day?”

“I am the Flame Emperor,” announced the masked figure, spreading their black gauntlets open in a gesture of parley. “The Death Knight, among others, temporarily usurped my authority to kidnap these girls. I do not condone such violence, especially against the innocent and the helpless.”

“If you are such a being lacking in leadership, then perhaps you should step down from your post,” snarled the Prince, his eyes dark and bloodshot. He pointed the tip of his lance towards them. “Or better yet, take off your mask. Only a coward refuses to show their true face.”

“Such as how you refuse to show your own, Prince Dimitri?” inquired the mechanical voice politely, the red and white mask remaining bland and unperturbed. Didi stiffened at their words, while Fe-fe huffed in rare laughter behind him. Then the figure shook their head. “I hastened here as quickly as I could. All of you are now free to go; indeed, you owe your lives to me, but I will not insist on any debts, or even gratitude. The only thing that I can tell you is that there is more to this than you know.”

“Then tell us,” demanded Chatterbox, not quite lowering her Relic, but no longer pointing it at the masked Flame Emperor. “Prove yourself worthy of our trust, when your own men have attacked us. Are you helping us, or helping yourself?”

“I…” For the first time, the self-proclaimed emperor hesitated. Then they resumed, ignoring their lapse. “I wished to prevent further death and suffering.” The white mask tiled to indicate the glass behind them, to the still forms in the glass chamber beyond.

“Then you’re too late, whoever you are,” growled J.R, coming to stand by his wounded daughter. “You’re either in control, or you’re not. Which is it, Your Majesty?” he said, deeply sarcastic.

“How amusing for you to ask,” rejoined the Flame Emperor, some passion finally leaking into their voice. “Are you in control, Sir Jeralt Reus Eisner? Or is  _ Rhea _ ?” the armored being demanded, clenching a fist in anger.

J.R. shrugged carelessly at the jibe. “Fine. I see your point. But you sound way too black and white, kid. And let me I assure you...whoever you are, or  _ what  _ you are, you’re a kid to me. You sound very...binary. Then there’s the fact you answer every question with a deflection. Sounds like you’re a little defensive, Your Majesty.”

The masked mystery person froze again in chagrin, and Hapi took her own opportunity to speak up. “Plus your outfit is completely ridiculous, Feather Emperor. You kinda look like a clown. Unless you’re gonna juggle balls for us or find coins behind our ears, get lost.”

The flamed mask swiveled to fixate on her. “Ah. The summoner. If only your magic was as effective as your wit.”

“Like I need to justify myself to a kidnapper of kids,” Hapi retorted, her blood up. “You think you know all about us, but we know all about you. You’re just like every other abuser and torturer. You just wanna use people and deny them their humanity. Someone like you could never understand what it’s like to be experimented on against your will.” Around her, the Black Eagles and Blue Lions still able to stand and fight voiced their assent, their faces settling into hard lines and raising weapons.

“What you say…” said the Feather Emperor slowly.

A ball of black Miasma, crackling with dark energy, suddenly flew into the figure. Feathers hissed in pain but backed away up step, turning to regard the grim face of the Bert, his gloved hands glowing with fey energy, stepping from behind the pillar he had been hiding behind. Bernski shyly peeked her purple head out, a bow and arrow at the ready, but soon ducked back away from the frightening masked figure.

“You have said your piece,” he sneered to the much shorter Feathers, his hands still aglow. “Unless you wish to fight, then I highly suggest it is time to turn your tail and run, you filth. You have done enough damage for one day.”

“... Very well. But we will meet again. That, I assure you,” proclaimed the Feather Emperor in their clockwork vocalization, the mask rotating to glare upon all in the room. Then they touched their own belt. With a similar swirl of purple energy like the Death Knight showed, they blinked out of existence to parts unknown.

“Damn it! I hate it when bad guys get away!” shouted Spar, shaking a bladed fist at the last glowing motes of purple. Then he winced as he gingerly touched a large bleeding cut on his torso. “Then again, they did save our lives…” he said doubtfully.

“Only to suit their own twisted agenda,” proclaimed Didi, showing his fatigue for the first time. The Dude graciously bore his liege’s weight as the Prince lowered his weapon wearily. But then his handsome face locked into a bitter scowl. “They must need us for some reason. I sincerely doubt we were spared out of any sense of mercy. And they also...knew far too much about us.”

Griddle bit her lip, dropping her spear to check on the wounds of each Blue Lion, sighing in relief when she reached the limp form of Freckles. Lowering him to the ground, she said, “I think Felix was right, Your Highness. The Death Knight must have been Professor Jeritza. And now he’s told everything he’s learned about us to this mysterious Flame Emperor.”

Fernado growled in displeasure, even while leaning heavily on his lance in exhaustion. “That infamous cad! How dare he make a mockery of Edelgard and Adrestia in such a manner! Both of those fiends must answer for their crimes!”

Chatterbox apparently agreed with Griddle’s conclusion. “Jeritza has sparred with nearly every person in this room, Papa,” she told her father, slowly and gingerly resheathing her Relic sword. “He’s the Death Knight. He has to be. I’d know that style of fighting anywhere.”

J.R. sighed and placed a heavy hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Sorry, By. I know this must be rough for you.”

“He made his choice,” said the Ashen Demon, her voice almost as icy as the vocal filters they had just heard. “And I’ve made mine. I won’t hesitate. You know that.” The Captain of the Knights of Seiros looked like he wanted to say more, but then just slowly hugged his daughter, mindful of her broken arm.

“Guys?” sang Nette, jumping back and forth in nervous agitation. “We need some more healers. Probably some cots, too. Plus, we still need to figure out how to get inside that blood magickey chamber thingey,” she said, tapping on the glass separating them from Flayn and the other kidnapped girl.

Looking around the carnage in the room, Chatterbox eventually looked to Huntress and Fe-fe, the least damaged and fastest among the remaining students. “Petra. Felix. Take Hubert and run back upstairs to the monastery. We’ll try to stabilize everyone here as best we can.”

* * *

It took the better part of a day to get everything sorted out and heal everyone’s wounds.

Even Claudster and Yuri-bird showed up in the massive underground complex they had found along with Shamir and Punhead, and a whole battalion of Knights. The Deer house leader and Abyss gang lord looked miffed that they hadn’t been able to crash the party, but the sight of some of the students’ injuries gave them pause in their grumbling. Professor Greybeard was summoned from the infirmary, and was busy with an equally large number of monks and sisters, cataloguing every item and runic symbol they could find in this sophisticated facility beneath Garreg Mach. Before too long, they had figured out the proper sequence of runes to teleport inside the glass encased laboratory, and soon two new patients were rushed up the stairs to the infirmary.

Hapi didn’t want to linger in the smelly old dungeon any longer than necessary. Instead, she made a point of helping out in the infirmary, even if it was just changing sheets or other mundane tasks. Woody and Fangirl were placed in beds next to each other, both making the other’s life a private, personal hell as they sniped at each other. The sad girl from the Golden Deer, Marie, managed to heal most of the lesser injuries on her own, such as Coco’s ribs or Didi’s bloody scalp. Pink Pint, the taller bluette’s personal shadow, pitched in to help as well, even if it was only skillfully distracting squabbling patients from hurting each other and making the healers’ job even more difficult. Doris, in the meantime, sat by the pale and quiet form of Professor Hollowleg, holding the woman’s clammy hand with Huntress sitting quietly and attentively by her side. Flayn and the other mystery girl were unconscious as well, with Headmaster Grasschin not leaving his sister’s side, not after having been sundered from her. Hapi privately wished them the best, even though they were deeply involved in the Church. No one deserved a trauma like the one they had been put through, not even stick-in-the-mud Church stooges like them.

Briefly, in idle moments between chores, Hapi wondered if she had any brothers or sisters. Would her parents have tried to have another kid, after their firstborn had run away? She wasn’t sure what her preferred answer to that question would be either way. Hapi just wished they weren’t lonely, wherever they were. Or dead. Hopefully they stayed put in their home, instead of roaming the world, looking for her.

As if echoing her thoughts, a new voice announced itself. “I have been looking for you.”

“Heya, Eddy,” mumbled Hapi tiredly, turning to see her house leader, with Bert by her side like some black moon in orbit around a little red and white planet. “Sorry you missed out on all the fun.”

“I do regret not being there in time,” agreed Eddy sorrowfully, with a sigh. “I thought that I should alert the Knights as well and bring some to your aid, but it took longer than I anticipated. I also wanted to inform the Headmaster and Archbishop of what we had found. They were displeased, to say the least, upon learning of Professor Jeritza’s treachery.”

“He’s probably one of  _ them _ ,” Hapi hissed, shaking her head about the fight. “I’m sure Bert told you all about it, but his gear is out of this world, if you know what I mean. Even the Professor’s Relic Sword could barely make a scratch, and we both saw her cut a tower almost in half.”

Eddy and Bert exchanged one of their glances at her words, then the retainer said in a low voice, “A likely assumption, Hapi, but please keep such speculations to yourself. Lady Edelgard has included you in the circle of trust, but that circle is small, and I despise it when I find...leaks.”

“Sure thing,” Hapi shrugged, shoving another armful of dirty bandages and linens into a hamper. Then her exhausted mind caught up, and her eyes narrowed on the pair. “Who’s in this magic trust group, anyway? Or don’t you trust me with that information, too?”

“ _ I  _ trust you, Hapi,” Eddy said firmly, looking up at an unrepentant Bert in fond exasperation. “Hubert takes his duties far too seriously at times, and I know you are not one to spread gossip. For now, just know that the only ones who know about our association with those individuals are the three of us, Professor Byleth, and...Lysithea.”

“Chip…” whispered Hapi mournfully, hating the fact that her suspicions were confirmed. Glancing behind her, she saw Pink Pint and Marie doting on their younger classmate in her infirmary bed, who was being observed overnight for magical exhaustion. The albino little girl was already launching into another defensive tirade about being coddled. Watching them, Hapi asked slowly, “She’s like us, isn’t she?”

Eddy swallowed, almost too quickly to notice, before nodding gravely at Hapi’s question. “She is. And like us, she dislikes speaking of it. Perhaps now you know why she insists on being treated like she is an adult.”

“Being tortured and used as a blood bag does make you grow up fast,” Hapi acknowledged bitterly. Without thought she inhaled, then forcibly clapped her hand over her mouth to prevent a sigh. A monster rampaging through the infirmary would be something she probably couldn’t live with afterwards.

“Hapi, I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Eddy quickly, looking distressed. “I did not mean to trouble you!”

“Just do what Chatterbox does,” grunted Hapi through clenched teeth, muffled by her fingers. “Tell me a bad joke or something. Help me get my mind off of it.”

“Um…” murmured Eddy, clearly racking her brain. For once in her life, Eddy was at a loss for words. Then her lilac eyes brightened. “Wait, I do remember one,” she said happily. “Why is six afraid of seven?”

Hapi relaxed minutely. She had heard this one, but it was a golden oldie. Trust Eddy to go with a classic.

“Why?” she asked the princess, a smile already tugging her lips, waiting for Eddy to tell the joke.

“Because seven is after six,” said Eddy proudly, looking extremely pleased to have brought a smile to Hapi’s face, smugly putting her white gloves on her hips. And so she was very confused when her retainer sighed loudly enough for both of them, and Hapi was soon quivering, a fist held tightly against her lips.

“Lady Edelgard…” muttered The Bert, shaking his head. “I will...attempt to provide you with honest feedback. Once we are in private.”

Hapi burst out laughing at his words, causing heads to turn in the infirmary and Eddy to blush scarlet beneath her silver hair.

* * *

Late in the evening, the Black Eagle class ate in the dining hall, with the Professor joining her students, her arm in a sling and bandaged with thin boards to keep it stiff and supported. But it was clear that Chatterbox was in a funk, listlessly stabbing her food over and over again with her fork, answering Linny’s pestering and Spar’s chatter with simple, one word answers. The healer and brawler had their own tearful, loving reunion in front of her earlier, doubtlessly not improving her mood.

Hapi didn’t want to question her Professor’s taste in men, like some other students were doing, or add to the churn of the rumour mill. She knew what that felt like, being a constant target of it herself. She didn’t even really know what advice she could give her teacher, never having been in a relationship herself, man or woman. Another wonderful aspect of her upbringing, see-sawing from being a creepy secret Dark Mage’s pet to ending up in a cloister, finally landing in the dark slums of the Abyss.

Intellectually she knew what others did, having seen her friends do it. She’d watch Yuri-bird easily take anyone, man or woman, to his bed and treat it as casually as breathing or going to the loo. Big B’s exploits, exaggerated or not, would make a brothel madam’s ears blush but had always brought a smile to her face. Gave a whole new twist on his “King of Grappling” title. And for a while, she had crushed hard on Coco, before seeing her friend simper and fawn over some of the more attractive rogues in the Abyss. She had been briefly disappointed, but not heartbroken. After all, it wasn’t like she could have a relationship in the first place. It was easier being friends, and for her, that was enough. More than she honestly expected, really.

But Chatterbox still looked so damn sad. Everyone else nearby had gotten up to return their dishes, but she hadn’t.

Impulsively, Hapi got up from her own seat, heading up to the kitchens to order a dessert. With Doris out of commission, and Eddy and Bert busy with interviews with the Knights over who this so-called “Flame Emperor” might be, it fell to her to rally the Professor’s spirits. Maybe she could get her to start punning again, or focus on this big super mock battle coming up, or anything. Something to get her to focus on the positive. They had saved Flayn and Manuela, as well as that other strange girl that had woken up. What was her name again? Monique? Montoya? Wait, no. Monica. That was it. She’d have to talk to the redhead before deciding on a good nickname for her. 

Eventually, she brought her bounty on a tray, balancing it carefully before herself, then depositing it in front of her Prof. Chatterbox barely looked up at her from her half-eaten meal.

Hapi pushed the serving of Peach Sorbet over to her teacher. “Here. Looks like you could use some, Chatterbox,” she said gently.

“Ice cream…” whispered the Prof, but then Hapi saw a ghost of a smile. Inside, she was mentally kicking herself. She just wanted the Professor to have some feel good food, but she had inadvertently made stuff worse, hadn’t she? Stellar work, dumbass, she berated herself. Some friend you are.

But Chatterbox eagerly pushed aside her country turnip plate, grabbing the spoon in the frozen dessert before her with relish. “Thanks, Hapi. You know, he actually did like that name you gave him,” she said, bringing the frosted treat to her lips, smacking them.

That was funny. “Heh. Well, it’s not like I put a ton of thought into it,” she said dismissively. “And he did seem like a decent guy, just...quiet. And intense. So who knows what the real story is.”

Chatterbox paused in her eating, becoming more reflective. “I’ve never been betrayed before,” she said slowly, before licking her spoon. She nodded to Hapi firmly, looking powerful and strong despite her broken arm cradled against her chest. “It sucks. I hate this feeling. It’s confusing.”

“You still like him,” Hapi guessed sympathetically.

“I do,” said Chatterbox slowly. Her bowl empty, she slowly set her spoon down. “And he wants to kill me. So I have to kill...him.”

“Maybe,” shrugged Hapi, brushing some split ends away from her eyes. “I do like you being alive, Chatterbox. But...speaking as someone who’s been betrayed before, can I give you some advice?”

Her teacher nodded cautiously to her.

“You know I was kidnapped,” Hapi said, her voice hitching lower. The dining hall wasn’t that crowded, but even though, long experience made her cautious. “But...even though I now know the bitch who did it to me is evil as sin...she was still basically my mom for seven years. And you know what? Being with her wasn’t all bad. She couldn’t let it be, you know? She’d give me treats. Always remembering my birthday, and Saint Cichol’s Day, and getting me presents. I was well fed, taken care of, provided for. We had a real emotional bond, sorta. After a while, I just kinda accepted that this was how things were going to be. How my life was going to turn out.”

Chatterbox unconsciously leaned forward, her eyes sincere and interested in her story.

Taking a pause to breathe deeply through her nose, Hapi continued. “But a nice noble lady, named Patricia, showed me the truth. That Cornelia wasn’t really being that nice to me. That what she had been doing to me was just part of her effort to control me. She was horrified when I told her what my life was like, and before I knew it, she marched right up to Cornelia and socked her in the mouth!” 

“How...does this relate to me? Or Jer?” said Chatterbox with a frown.

Hapi ignored the diminutive and grabbed her teacher’s hand, squeezing it. “Because you were being abused, Chatterbox. Maybe ‘Jer’ was never really interested in you. Maybe he just wanted to get close to you, to know how you think, to anticipate how you act. He wanted you to like him, so he could study you, because he knew you were a threat. And what Patty--my nice noble lady--made me realize, is that someone can be nice to you, but in the end, they’re still just fucking using you. To get what they want.”

Chatterbox’s indigo eyes went wide at this. Then she winced suddenly, tilting her head aside. “Ow! Yes, yes, I know I messed up, but I couldn’t help it! I’d never been beaten in a duel before, so forgive me for being attracted!”

Hapi felt awkwardly warm all over her body, observing her teacher’s bizarre behavior. “Um. Chatterbox? You alright?”

Her teacher gaped a little bit, then muttered something beneath her breath that sounded like, “Can I please turn back?” Then she winced again, before refocusing on Hapi. “Sorry. Sothis knows I owe you. Without your help in the last two missions, I think the casualties would have been worse.”

“Huh. Well, tell the Goddess to smack Rhea silly,” said Hapi lightly, delighting in her teacher’s casual blasphemy. 

“Oh she wants to. Believe me,” said Chatterbox with a roll of her eyes.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” said Eddy’s voice. Hapi glanced up, noticing at once the princess’ cool intonation and rigid stance. She snatched her own dark hand back guiltily from her teacher’s white palm.

“Hullo Edelgard,” said Chatterbox without pause. “Hapi was just trying to make me feel better.”

“I can see that,” said the princess frostily, colder than ice cream.

“Hang on, Eddy,” Hapi blurted defensively. “She was feeling down. I was just talking to her about Jerkritza. That’s it.”

At the mention of the former Combat Professor, Eddy relaxed in the slightest. “Is that so? My teacher, you had told me you were enamored with our former combat instructor. I am deeply sorry.”

“He kissed me,” muttered Chatterbox. She averted her eyes. “I’d never been kissed before.”

“What?” exclaimed Hapi in unthinking shock.

_ “What?” _ echoed Eddy, equally shocked.

“Kissing is nice,” said Chatterbox carefully, as if coming to some profound realization. Then she looked up, staring at both of them. “Maybe you guys should try it someday.” With an equitable nod, as if she hadn’t just conjured up blushes in both of her students, the Professor got up with her dishes to return them back to the cafeteria ladies.

“She’s ridiculous,” said Hapi quickly, getting up from her seat to hide her own embarrassment. 

“Constantly,” agreed Eddy, standing up as well.

“I mean, not I wouldn’t…”

“And she’s so strange, always making…”

“...mind, if you wanted to bother with stuff like that…”

“...the most inopportune observations, which do not have the slightest relevance…”

“...I mean, you still have an axe strapped to your back, so if I sighed, it would be kinda hot…”

“...to our relationship, which is strictly platonic, I assure you, and you know Hubert would be…”

They were talking over each other, then shyly, their eyes met.

“Um. Wanna go for a walk after dinner?” suggested Hapi, her cheek muscles hurting for some weird reason. She didn’t even know if Eddy even had supper at all.

Eddy’s returning grin was amazing. And beautiful. “I would be delighted, Hapi.”

* * *

They walked up and down the length and breadth of Garreg Mach, before finally sitting at the stairs before the docks, observing the night sky as sunset dissolved into twilight.

“Look,” murmured Eddy, running her white gloved fingers through Hapi’s hair, but enchanted by the soaring vista above. “The Blue Sea Star is fading, but you can still see it. It’s very faint, but you can still tell it’s there.”

“Yeah,” whispered Hapi, glancing up at Eddy’s porcelain face. “I see it too.”

“It’s odd, isn’t it? That a planet fades into obscurity, but then visits us for only a month or two. I wonder why that is.”

“I mean, we see stars blow up occasionally. Historically. Or comets.” Damn it. She was feeling things, and that was making her ominous.

“That is true,” Eddy said, glancing down at her, where she was leaning on her shoulder.

Hapi bit her lip. Eddy’s face was so close...so fucking kissable...she could just lean in and…

“Stop,” she said abruptly, to herself and the princess.

Eddy jerked backwards in chagrin. “I’m sorry, Hapi...I was too forward…”

“Eddy. Shut the fuck up and let me speak.”

The princess blushed furiously, but nodded in acceptance.

She sat up to hold both hands of her friend. This was going to be brutal, for both of them, but it needed to be said.

Fuck it. It was almost  _ too  _ painful. But brutal honesty had always been her forte, right?

She squeezed her eyes shut, keeping a deathgrip on Eddy’s gloves. “Eddy. I really care about you, you know? Like, romantically and shit.”

There was torturous silence for nearly a minute, and Hapi scrunched her eyelids shut, willing herself to cease to exist. Was it possible to die from embarrassment? She was about to find out. Then finally, a strangled whisper. “...you do?”

“I do,” said Hapi, finally opening her eyes to see her response. Eddy was near tears, poor thing. Her hair was shining in the moonlight and her face was so perfectly kissable and she was so small and kind and deserved so much more… and… 

“And that’s why I can’t be with you,” Hapi continued bluntly, brutally. “Because you deserve better.”

A dark brown eyebrow rose up. “And I suppose I have no say in this matter?” Eddy asked imperiously as she stiffened in umbrage.

Hapi couldn’t bear to look at the raw hurt in her house leader’s face anymore. “Sorry. I just had to say it. After almost getting killed today, knowing you’re like me, what you feel about this fucked up place…” she shut herself up, waving a hand aimlessly around Garreg Mach. “I know it wouldn’t work. So I’m letting you off the hook. You’ve got too much on your plate anyway, with this Flame Emperor shit…”

“And absolutely none of that should matter!” Eddy said furiously, raising her voice. “Are you scared of maybes and possibilities? Do you not want to fight for a future for us?”

“I do,” managed Hapi, her mouth becoming dry. “But I’m scared, too, Eddy. Me, I’m damaged goods. Whatever was the real me was...Cornelia broke that. If I hurt you...or Bert, or Bernski, or Doris or anybody…I don’t think I could...”

Eddy kept squeezing her fingers, so hard Hapi thought she could hear her joints crack. “What if I told you, Hapi,” she began, her words measured and careful, “that I have those same feelings? The same fears? Do you think I am so impoverished of imagination that I do not think the same things?”

“But you control your power,” Hapi objected. “Me...I just...deal with it. I’m a liability.”

Shaking her silver hair, Eddy’s anger melted away, leaving nothing but compassion. “If that is how you feel right now, Hapi, I will not dissuade you. But I will do everything in my power to prove you wrong.”

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow at the princess. “What does that mean?”

“It means you and I… need...to go on a date!” Eddy finally managed, color rising up beyond her collar. The words hung in the air between them, and Hapi could only manage to blink in response. Did she hear that correctly? A date? Thankfully, Eddy continued talking; Hapi wasn’t quite sure that she would be able to form words in that moment. “We will date each other. Like completely normal people. So...you have my permission to court me, if you wish.”

Hapi couldn’t help herself, and gulped audibly. “I don’t know the first fucking thing about dating anyone. Much less courting.”

“And you do not need to,” Eddy answered with a smile, raising her up to her feet. “Because I do not, either.”

“I mean…” Hapi began, words failing her. “I like us being friends. But what would we do?”

Eddy released her hands, fumbling for something inside her chest. Hapi backed away, in a teasing manner, her old deflective humor reasserting itself. “Wow, Eddy? Gonna flash me for our first date?”

“ _ NO! _ ” shouted Eddy loudly, her face turning the shade of steamed lobster. Instead she reached inside of the ruffled ivory silk on her chest awkwardly.

Hapi tried to laugh it off. “Eddy, it’s okay, you don’t need to show some skin for me on our first date…”

“...that’s not IT!” insisted her princess, her tiny face enraged and the imperial brows furrowed angrily at her. Hapi giggled in response. Slowly, a necklace from inside Edie’s formal Academy uniform was presented for Hapi to inspect. “I had this made...by Dorothea and Bernadetta. Because...I would like for us to do...what we said before…”

She held it out for her. Between thin silver chain links, across her noble neck, Hapi saw her rock from earlier this week draped beautifully across Eddy’s collarbone. Her black obsidian rock, unhewn and unadorned. Eddy had made a necklace of it.

“A rock collection,” Hapi said in a whisper, struck dumb.

The Princess of Adrestia nodded slowly back to her.

Shit. Was she crying? Pressing her fingers to her cheeks, she felt the moisture there. She  _ was  _ crying. Weeping like some Goddess-damned baby. “Eddy…” she whispered, unable to communicate more.

“Quiet, Hapi,” commanded Eddy, confident and regal and in control. “Come here…”

Gently, respectfully, she embraced Hapi. It made her heart beat faster and her legs itch and insides clench and her breath hitch slightly, making her think of raw pure sexual things. Things she should definitely not do with a princess.

But her partner interrupted her thoughts before she could spiral. “Take this to remember me by,” said Eddy.

Hapi gaped like a fish. Oh goddess. Oh Fucking Sothis. Was Eddy going to kiss her? Hapi didn’t know if she had the fortitude to withstand that.

Their faces inches apart, Eddy brought up her two fingers, kissing them against her beautiful red imperial lips. Then, she gently pressed those same fingers against Hapi’s own lips. She didn’t move or react, stunned into submission.

“No matter what...no matter where...I’ll always be thinking about you,” her house leader told her, again unbearably formal, resuming her dignified, regal manner.

Hapi nodded back to her, slowly. She was unable to do much else.

It was a transcendent experience. She felt these feelings, and they were reciprocated. She was dating a princess. It was fucking unreal, like she was flying high as a kite from one of B’s magic mushrooms or had a taste of Yuri-bird’s stash of his fav private brew or if she had licked one of Coco’s special stickers. 

She felt weak in the knees, even with Eddy holding her up by her elbows, practically radiating heat and warmth, gazing up at her expectantly. They fit together like puzzle pieces, like she was a lock and Eddy was the key. And Hapi couldn’t resist...they were so close and she could just lean down and taste those soft pale lips…

“HEY GUYS!” shouted Spar, rushing out from the dining hall, eagerly holding out an envelope and a quill. “DID YOU SIGN PETRA’S BIRTHDAY CARD?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda went nuts there at the end. Oh well.
> 
> LOTS of little tributes and refs, all over the place. Gotta catch 'em all!
> 
> As for Hapi's experimental drug use, whatever happens in the Abyss stays in the Abyss.
> 
> Also, gives a whole new meaning to what kind of 'bad mushrooms' are incapacitating General Holst...
> 
> Don't worry, Eddy and Hapi are going to discuss "The Feather Emperor" extensively next chapter. We'll see how long Edelgard can grin and bear it...
> 
> A weird headcanon rule I'm having for this fic is no house transfers until after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. But after that, I'm adding two GD and two Lions to the Black Eagles. The Deer are kind of obvious, but there's still a betting pool for Lions to grow wings!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment or add suggestions! 
> 
> And the Professor will award extra credit to anyone who can catch most of the refs.


End file.
